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.