What I've Read Recently

I've read three stories in the past week:

"The Red Queen's Race" by Isaac Asimov.

"Rammer' by Larry Niven.

"Burning Day" by Glenn Grant.

Which were published in 1948, 1971, and 2004, respectively.

I read "Red Queen" and "Burning Day" both while babysitting a computer that was being fixed. I read "Rammer" while waiting out a school board executive session.

I'd never read "Red Queen" before. It's in an anthology I bought a couple of weeks ago, "The Future I", edited by Asimov.

"Burning Day" is in the current Year's Best (Hartwell version) It's not in the Dozois flavor.

"Rammer' is in a Niven collection, "Playgrounds of the Mind".

Quick impressions:

"Red Queen" - Typically Asimovian brilliance; I've always like the guy. Probably seemed more original when it was published.

"Burning" - Hmmm. Very well written. I never thought I'd see cyberpunk sound so old-fashioned.

"Rammer" - Good bridge between the New Wave and the Cyberpunks. Again, well written. I start to lose sympathy for the characters, though, when they get too far out - both in time and space.

Copied from the Asimo's Board

In case anyone is interested, I have an officious web site now. It originally belonged to a newspaper I owned and operated (which explains the unusual URL). I've kept the web site and finally tore out all the journalism stuff and put up all my own sci-fi news.

I've got some stories archived there, and I've even put up a piece of original fiction.

I was wondering whether anyone else would like to have stories there? It could be another on-line fiction venue (don't even ask me about money).

The Sentinel is a noteworthy name in science fiction; that happened to be the name of the newspaper, so I've called the web site Sentinel Science Fiction.

Stop by and visit:

http://www.cedarhillsentinel.com/

The Changing of the Sentinel

The conversion is complete at the web site which originally belonged to a newspaper I once ran. The newspaper went belly up in 2001, but the web site has chugged along. However, I have little time or interest for it, and as our last paid advertiser dropped off, I thought it was time to convert it to my personal web site.

Ironically, the newspaper was called the Sentinel - but "The Sentinel" was also the name of the Arthur C. Clarke story that became "2001: A Space Odyssey". So I'm calling it Sentinel Science Fiction. That's actually a pretty good name for a sci-fi site.

Most science fiction authors have web sites, both for self-promotion and to allow people to find them.

Since I already have the web site (and a fairly good deal on the hosting) I'll keep it for myself.

People may wonder, though, about the URL: www.cedarhillsentinel.com. I guess that will become a little back story.

New at RevSF

RevolutionSF has just published my story "Dialogue". That makes six stories published in 3 1/2 months:
Print:
"A Rocket for the Republic" - September 2005 Asimov's.
"The Cast Iron Dybbuk" - June/July Andromeda Spaceways In-flight Magazine.
"The Honor of the Blue Devil Patrol" - June/July Beyond Centauri.
E-zines:
"Big Girl" - May/June Ultraverse.
"The Hideaway" - June/July Alienskin.
"Dialogue" - August 23 RevolutionSF.
BUT now I have nothing in the pipeline.

Good reading

You know, it seems strange to me, but I found myself doing the same thing with my story in Andromeda Spaceways that I did with Asimov's. I've read the story at least a couple of times in the magazine. I did the same thing with "Rocket" - which struck me as strange. I mean, I know how the story ends.

Still, it somehow seems different when it's in print in a real magazine. Somehow I actually enjoy the story and forget for a moment that I write it. It still seems fun.

The Bulging Mailbox

I got the original manuscript back from Dell magazines in the mail today, along with a couple of author's copies. They were mailed August 3 but I didn't get them until today because they had to be forwarded.

They also included a sheet on how to buy extra author's copies, but I had already contacted the Dell circulation department directly and got a price from them. In fact, the order left in today's outgoing mail.

Actually, when I say I got the manuscript back, I mean the manuscript they worked off after Gardner and I finished with the story. The ending was changed, and after the Great One and the Meager Scribbler were in agreement, he had me e-mail the final version to the office in New York.

It has the final corrections in green ink (Sheila Williams is the only person I know who uses green ink). BTW, as a newspaper editor myself, I have to comment that Sheila is an EXCELLENT copy editor. She caught every small mistake that got by Gardner and myself.

I asked my wife if I should tape the manuscript to a piece of our bedroom furniture - because that's what paid for it.

Oh, and I also got my five copies of Andromeda Spaceways in the mail today. They had to travel all the way from Australia and get forwarded, but they found me. Neat little magazine. Each magazine was mailed in a separate postage paid Aussie envelope. I guess they had to do it that way. Between the envelope from Dell and the Andromedas, the mailbox was full.

Changing subjects completely, the wife and I were shopping at Casa del Wally last night, and I picked up a DVD in the dollar bin: "The Phantom Empire" with Gene Autry.

It's a 1935 serial that combines the the Western Singing Cowboy genre with a '30s sci-fi sensibility and a lost underground kingdom.

It was great. I'd heard about it before. It probably contributed a lot to Flash Gordon, which debuted the following year.

It doesn't make a lick of sense, but it's a hoot. Even my wife said it was fun.

Extra copies

I just dropped a check in the mail to Dell Magazines for ten extra copies of the issue. My subscribers' copy has gotten pretty beaten-up.

I bought the last two copies of the issue at a Hastings in Mount Pleasant, Texas, August 5. Otherwise, there isn't a book store that stocks the mag within 75 miles of me.

I mailed the two copies to my old retired scoutmaster in Arizona, and a former boss of mine.

Back On-Line

Well, the DSL modem arrived yesterday. We got the new hardware hooked up and running today, so I'm back on-line. I sent off four stories via e-mail.

Can't make ArmaDilloCon in Austin this weekend, I have a conflict with work.

Comments continue to come in almost uniformly positive about "Rocket". The reviewer at Tangent gave it thumbs down, though. He didn't;t like the dialect (annoying), the plot (unoriginal) and the ending (predictable). Otherwise, everything has been positive. The most common word used in many comments and reviews has been "fun" - which is what I wanted.

Re-read Andy Duncan's "Lincoln in Frogmore" over the weekend. The voice in that story contributed a lot to the feel of the voice in "Rocket". "Lincoln" ran in the Fall 2001 double issue of Asimov's.

After I mentioned at the Asimov's discussion board that the ending of "Rocket" kinda had a tribute to Jack Finney's "Quit Zoomin' Your Hands Through the Air", I think a few people went and reread that story - which also makes me happy.

Off-Line

Moved into a new home August 5, but don't have an internet connection yet (DSL modem was shipped to the wrong location by UPS). That's why I haven't been posting lately.

From the Asimov's discussion board

OK, here are some comments from the Asimov's discussion board from the thread about the September issue:

By Randy Beck on Sunday, July 24, 2005 - 11:15 am:
Has nobody mentioned the new issue yet?
I only read one story so far. I'm usually way behind, and I was going to wait until I cleared my plate but I saw Lou Antonelli's Bradburyesque Asimov's debut and thought I'd give it a shot.
Congratulations, Lou. I'll have to congratulate you even more if you ever beat this one. It's very, very, very good.

By R.Wilder on Sunday, July 24, 2005 - 06:34 pm:
Sept. is a great issue. "A Rocket for the Republic" is a ripper, a fine tall-tale that put a smile on my face. It's got a good narrative voice, a simple but clever plot and I wished I'd thought of it. A nifty "Asimov's" debut, and the best Lou Antonelli yet.

(I posted a picture of Snoopy from Peanuts dancing here.)

By Steven Utley on Friday, July 29, 2005 - 04:56 pm:
Give in to the moment, Lou -- don't hold back.

By Gardner Dozois on Friday, July 29, 2005 - 05:11 pm:
I'd like to see film footage of Lou himself actually doing the Happy Snoopy Dance. That would be worth seeing.

By Lou Antonelli on Saturday, July 30, 2005 - 12:35 am:
If "Rocket" wins a Hugo or Nebula, I will put on a black rubber ball dog nose and do the Happy Snoopy Dance in front of the audience.
It'll never happen - but you can hold me to it if it DOES happen.

By Gardner Dozois on Saturday, July 30, 2005 - 09:43 am:
Oh, hold you to it we will, believe me!

By Bill G on Monday, August 01, 2005 - 09:49 pm:

Today I received the September issue. I see it has a theme -- "Generations." That's the title of Pohl's story and Williams's editorial. The TOC features three or four generations. Pohl is one of the last survivors of the GI generation that fought WWII. Aldiss and Silverberg are members of the Silent generation that started writing in the '50s. Then there are Baby Boomers, who currently dominate SF, William Barton, Lou Antonelli and Robert Reed, among others. Not sure if there are any Gen-Xers in the issue.

By R.Wilder on Monday, August 01, 2005 - 10:17 pm:
Lou's new nickname could be The Dominator.

By Marian on Monday, August 01, 2005 - 10:32 pm:
Just read your story, Lou, and am now joining the chorus of your admirers.

By Tom Purdom on Monday, August 01, 2005 - 11:58 pm:
I liked every story in the issue. I think it's worth noting that most of the stories are clearly "core science fiction", and the two exceptions are alternate history stories, which means they belong to a category that has become part of the science fiction tradition. Fred Pohl's story could even be considered "hard" SF, since it confronts some basic ideas about physics.

By Bill G on Tuesday, August 02, 2005 - 10:55 am:
Good story, Lou. Made me laugh.

By Rick Hauptmann on Tuesday, August 02, 2005 - 03:28 pm:
Well, the September issue finally made it to eastern New Mexico today. For the first time this year, the cover came through in perfect condition.
Your story is excellent, Lou. Good job.

By Jerry Wright on Tuesday, August 02, 2005 - 04:39 pm:

I too have the September Issue. Lou, I believe your story will be collected and anthologized. Sorry. Learn to live with it.

Sentinalia

Sorry about the mistake below. This is a cheap free blog, and I can't undo mistake. I hit return instead of tab.

Uhh, I have a web site, but it has a strange background. It goes with a newspaper i used to run. The paper went out of business in 2001, but the web site has been cranking along on its own. I am planning to shut down the news side of the web site later this year and convert it to exclusively my science fiction home - although the URl won't make any sense unless you know the background.

But the contract with the ISp is grandfathered, so I want to keep it. Anyway, I use the web site to tout my achievements, and here is a copy of the news release I published there:

The Lou Antonelli science fiction short story "A Rocket for the Republic" has been published by Asimov's Science Fiction magazine and is in bookstores now.
Asimov's is the second largest science fiction magazine in the world, with a circulation of almost 30,000 in English-speaking countries.
The story is featured in the September 2005 issue. The reviews have been outstanding:
"Texan tall tale, or sci-fi fabulism? A fun first-person narrative about the first space expedition Â? way back in the thirties. The eighteen thirties, that is." - L. Blunt Jackson "Bluejack", the Internet Review of Science Fiction.
"A Rocket for the Republic" is a ripper, a fine tall-tale that put a smile on my face. It's got a good narrative voice, a simple but clever plot and I wished I'd thought of it. A nifty "Asimov's" debut, and the best Lou Antonelli yet." - R. Wilder
"Astonishingly good" - Randy Beck.

The url is: http://www.cedarhillsentinel.com/

Sentinalia

Lou's News and Views