Friday, September 10, 2010

2010 Hugo Award Nominees and Winners (with hyperlinks)

2010

Best Fan Artist
Presented by Gina Goddard

Best Fanzine
Presented by James Shields

Best Fan Writer
Presented by John Hertz

Best Semiprozine
Presented by Bruce Gillespie

  • Clarkesworld edited by Neil Clarke, Sean Wallace, & Cheryl Morgan (winner)
  • Ansible edited by David Langford
  • Interzone edited by Andy Cox
  • Locus edited by Charles N. Brown, Kirsten Gong-Wong, & Liza Groen Trombi
  • Weird Tales edited by Ann VanderMeer & Stephen H. Segal

Best Professional Artist
Presented by Nick Stathopoulos

Best Editor, Short Form
Presented by Lucy Sussex

Best Editor, Long Form
Presented by Robert Silverberg

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form
Presented by Paul Cornell

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form
Presented by George R. R. Martin

Best Graphic Story
Presented by Shaun Tan

Best Related Book
Presented by Cheryl Morgan

Best Short Story
Presented by Sean Williams

Best Novelette
Presented by Terry Dowling

Best Novella
Presented by Sean McMullen

Best Novel
Presented by Kim Stanley Robinson

The John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer
Presented by John Scalzi and Jay Lake

This year’s Hugo Awards trophy was designed by Nick Stathopoulos. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners!

Complete List of Hugo Awards

Complete List of Nebula Awards

List of Science Fiction Awards

(I’ve been blogging here for a number of years and can honestly say that this post has more links than any year’s worth of prior posts. Almost every name, magazine, story, or novel has a corresponding link. Feel free to visit the other sites. Oh, and please report any broken links.)

Wednesday, September 08, 2010

Book Review - The Emperor’s Tomb by Steve Berry

The Emperor’s Tomb
Steve Berry
Ballantine Books
2010
Hardcover
464 pages
ISBN: 0345505492


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First a word about the main character - Cotton Malone will go down in history as one of the great action characters in literature (Yes, you heard it here first, parenthetically. They say that everything you put out on the Internet is permanent. If that's so then look me up in 20 years so I can tell you that I told you so.) Malone is a thinking man's James Bond, Jason Bourne, and Mack Bolan all rolled into one. Read the entire series just to acquaint yourself with the character. You won't be disappointed.

With that said, The Emperor's Tomb is the sixth book in the series and while not the strongest of the six Berry does not fail to entertain once again. His history (even when slightly exaggerated and stretched) is believable and he has a knack for choosing some great off-beat topics and little-known historical events to conjure with. Fast paced, fun, full of adventure and with the occasional gun-fight Berry's Cotton Malone is sure to entertain for years to come. The series was written, I suspect, for the adrenaline junkie hidden in us all. Thank you, Mr. Berry for filling that need.

3 1/2 out of 5 stars

Cotton Malone Series
1. The Templar Legacy (2006)
2. The Alexandria Link (2007)
3. The Venetian Betrayal (2007)
4. The Charlemagne Pursuit (2008)
5. The Paris Vendetta (2009)
6. The Emperor's Tomb (2010)

Steve Berry Author Site

Random House Site

Fantastic Fiction Site

The Alternative
Southeast Wisconsin

Sunday, September 05, 2010

Music Review - Anais Mitchell - Hadestown

Fabulous Record – 5 out of 5 stars

New Orleans/Jazz/Blues/Rock/Pop Opera – Hadestown is a fantastic merge of lyrics, vocals and music while telling a story and is the best concept album I’ve heard in years. With contributions from the likes of Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), The Haden Triplets, Greg Brown, Ben Knox Miller (The Low Anthem), and Ani DiFranco Hadestown is nothing short of awe inspiring.

Hadestown PLAY LIST:

Wedding Song - Anais Mitchell feat. Justin Vernon 3:18

Epic (Part I) - Anais Mitchell feat. Justin Vernon 2:22

Way Down Hadestown - Anais Mitchell feat. Justin Vernon, Ani DiFranco 3:33

Songbird Intro 0:24

Hey, Little Songbird - Anais Mitchell feat. Greg Brown 3:09

Gone, I’m Gone - Anais Mitchell feat. The Haden Triplets 1:09

When The Chips Are Down - Anais Mitchell feat. The Haden Triplets 2:14

Wait For Me - Anais Mitchell feat. Ben Knox Miller and Justin Vernon   3:06

Why We Build The Wall - Anais Mitchell feat. Greg Brown 4:18

Our Lady Of The Underground - Anais Mitchell feat. Ani DiFranco 4:40

Flowers (Eurydice’s Song) 3:33

Nothing Changes - Anais Mitchell feat. The Haden Triplets 0:52

If It’s True - Anais Mitchell feat. Justin Vernon 3:03

Papers (Hades Finds Out) 1:24 Anais

How Long? - Anais Mitchell feat. Ani DiFranco and Greg Brown 3:36

Epic (Part II) - Anais Mitchell feat. Justin Vernon 2:55

Lover’s Desire 2:05 Anais

His Kiss, The Riot - Anais Mitchell feat. Greg Brown 4:03

Doubt Comes In - Anais Mitchell feat. Justin Vernon 5:32

I Raise My Cup To Him - Anais Mitchell feat. Ani DiFranco 2:10

Anais Mitchell Home Page

Myspace Hadestown Page

Preview some of the songs by clicking on “The Music” on the Anais Mitchell home page.

My favorites from the album: Why We Build The Wall, Way Down Hadestown, and Our Lady Of The Underground.

Book Review - The Inheritance by Simon Tolkien

The Inheritance
Simon Tolkien
Minotaur Books, 2010
Hardcover
336 pages


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How can you review a book by Simon Tolkien without comparing him to his more famous grandfather, J.R.R. Tolkien? You can’t. So I won’t. And now that I’ve got the obligatory reference out of the way and you know of the relationship I can get on with my review.

The Inheritance is, in my estimation, a very good murder mystery. The World War II back story is intriguing and interesting and the characters are, for the most part, believable and worth investing time in. While the mystery, which borders on being a locked-room-murder, is similar to others of the genre and is well-executed Tolkien really shines when he gets into the politics, intrigue, and tension of the court room. The story is a complex mystery filled with courtroom drama and believable well-researched history and I found every aspects of the story truly enjoyable. From the quest for the missing religious artifact to the massacre of an entire village during World War II to the mechanics of corporal punishment in England in 1959 and by combining elements of the classic whodunit with those of the court room thriller I found The Inheritance an entertaining and interesting read.

3 stars out of 5

The Alternative

Southeast Wisconsin

Author Page http://www.simontolkien.com/

BookReporter http://www.bookreporter.com/reviews2/9780312539078.asp

Onyx Reviews http://www.bevvincent.com/onyx/tolkien-inheritance.html

Barnes and Nobel http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Inheritance/Simon-Tolkien/e/9780312539078