tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45129019701427546172024-02-20T00:49:15.730-08:00Right Fans: Sci Fi from the Other Side"Good stories often introduce the marvelous or supernatural, and nothing about Story has been so often misunderstood as this." - C.S. LewisSABR Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00879056167130238382noreply@blogger.comBlogger1298125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4512901970142754617.post-36805204595292688662015-08-02T14:13:00.002-07:002015-08-02T14:13:23.334-07:00This Blog Will No Longer Be Updated<div style="text-align: center;">
To catch up with Stephanie S., please head on over to her new blog:</div>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://therightgeek.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Right Geek</a></h2>
The Right Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649094767960738820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4512901970142754617.post-39323593589806433352015-04-14T01:00:00.000-07:002015-04-14T01:00:11.277-07:00Links of Interest: The Puppies Soldier OnFor the next few days, I have to step away from the computer to attend to a family obligation. In the meantime, allow me to direct you to a few interesting blog posts from the last week:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://bradrtorgersen.wordpress.com/2015/04/08/sp3-solomon/" target="_blank">The Judgment of Solomon</a>, Brad Torgersen<br />
<br />
"The way you prove to the world that you love a thing, is to see the thing preserved. Maybe it winds up in the hands of somebody you don’t think deserves it, or because you don’t like how the thing got there in the first place. But declaring, “Cut it in half,” reveals a jealous possessiveness that belies any love that may be felt."<br />
<br />
<a href="http://monsterhunternation.com/2015/04/09/a-response-to-george-r-r-martin-from-the-author-who-started-sad-puppies/" target="_blank">A Response to George R. R. Martin from the Author Who Started Sad Puppies</a>, Larry Correia<br />
<br />
"When one of the most successful authors on the planet takes the time to talk about something you did, I figure that deserves an in depth response." And an in-depth response is exactly what Larry provides. Why? Because Martin isn't a rage nozzle; he has cred, and he's level-headed.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://bradrtorgersen.wordpress.com/2015/04/10/sad-puppies-3-were-they-contacted/" target="_blank">Were They Contacted?</a> Brad Torgersen<br />
<br />
In which Brad responds to an irrelevant question about a non-issue. "If people have to conform to your expectations or your litmus tests before you will accept them, no, you are not inclusive and loving and embracing in the way you think you are. You are loving and inclusive and embracing <b>as long as</b> the newcomers speak and talk and think and have fun <b>just like you</b>."<br />
<br />
<a href="http://accordingtohoyt.com/2015/04/12/the-architecture-of-fear/" target="_blank">The Architecture of Fear</a>, Sarah Hoyt<br />
<br />
"I must beseech you, consider, please that you are not alone. Consider that the sound and fury, the threats, the people pushing you to do things against your will and conscience because you’re so scared of them might be less than the full crowd. It might be just a small mouse, full of him/herself, roaring up a storm. Consider that the decent people who disagree with all this bs might actually be in the vast majority but not know it because none of you dares speak."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://bradrtorgersen.wordpress.com/2015/04/12/flaming-rage-nozzles-of-tolerance/" target="_blank">Flaming Rage Nozzles of Tolerance</a>, Brad Torgersen<br />
<br />
"I consider it the duty of Science Fiction and Fantasy fans, authors, and editors, to be anti-authoritarian. Even to include (or especially to include?) benevolent authoritarianism. The cuddly pink fluffy cudgel of political correctness must be opposed by men and women with courage, and the conviction of their free-minded principles. Now is the time for this field — more than any other genre in the literary arts — to demonstrate that it is dangerous. To the commissars. To the flaming rage nozzles of tolerance. To the people who believe the ends justify the means."<br />
<br />
<a href="http://madgeniusclub.com/2015/04/13/nostradumbass-and-madame-bugblatterfatski/" target="_blank">Nostradumbass and Madame Bugblatterfatski</a>, Dave Freer<br />
<br />
Dave has some questions -- and I have to admit, I share the suspicions expressed in this post. <b>Somebody</b> on the other side almost certainly has a direct line to the mainstream media; that's why I argued on Monday that the anti-Puppies are the privileged power-brokers in this whole affair.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://medium.com/@aristoNYC/social-justice-bullies-the-authoritarianism-of-millennial-social-justice-6bdb5ad3c9d3" target="_blank">Social Justice Bullies: The Authoritarianism of Millennial Social Justice</a><br />
<br />
"The fact of the matter is, this particular brand of millennial social justice advocacy is destructive to academia, intellectual honesty, and true critical thinking and open mindedness. We see it already having a profound impact on the way universities act and how they approach curriculum." This article doesn't discuss SFF specifically, but it is still <b>highly</b> relevant.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://cedarwrites.com/fan-writers/" target="_blank">Fan Writers</a>, Cedar Sanderson<br />
<br />
If you are a Hugo voter, you'll find this post remarkably helpful, as Cedar has taken it upon herself to collect representative writing samples for each fan writer on the 2015 short list. Go, read, and judge for yourself.The Right Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649094767960738820noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4512901970142754617.post-30902300023636804892015-04-13T06:00:00.000-07:002015-04-13T07:30:25.565-07:00Commentary: Challenging Comfortable Fictions, Part IAs you may have noticed, I've been following the recent Hugo kerfluffle very closely -- and to be quite frank, I'm getting mighty tired of the anti-Puppy leftists and their boring, repetitive "arguments." Consequently, I'll be running a series over the next few weeks that tackles their nonsense point by point. First up:<br />
<br />
<b>The Sad Puppies are just privileged white men pitching a tantrum over the imminent loss of their privilege.</b><br />
<b><br />
</b>Oh, really? Tell that to the Puppies who grew up in less-than-advantaged circumstances. Jason Cordova spent much of his childhood in a series of group homes. Larry Correia grew up on a dairy farm with an alcoholic mother and an illiterate father. Sarah Hoyt remembers her winter shoes being cut into sandals for the summer. For many, frugality and resourcefulness were (and are) <b>necessary</b> virtues, not matters of choice. And personally, I don't know any people on our side who were fortunate enough to, I don't know, attend one of the most expensive universities in the country. We had to settle for more affordable options.<br />
<br />
What's more, many of us are quite shocked to discover that our vaginas are mere illusions. You think we're suffering from gender dysphoria?<br />
<br />
There <b>is</b> such a thing as privilege, and it often flows just as the SJW's claim it does. But do these folks <b>actually </b>understand its mechanics -- or its complexities? I submit that they do not -- not entirely. For one thing, they oversimplify its origins. For an excellent primer, I recommend reading the following:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://thefederalist.com/2015/03/16/yes-privilege-exists-but-government-cant-fix-it/" target="_blank">Yes, Privilege Exists, But Government Can't Fix It</a><br />
Joy Pullmann, The Federalist<br />
<br />
It may be true that the "system" has made it more difficult for certain groups to build the sort of cultural and financial inheritance that members of the U.S. majority enjoy -- but that hasn't made the hard work and sacrifices of individual members of said majority any less deserving of reward. Further - and this is something Pullmann does not address - the hurdles the "system" presents to members of certain classes are <b>not always the fault of the right</b>. Our troubled inner cities have been almost exclusively run by the left for decades, and the decline of marriage and social capital in certain communities has been accelerated by the logic of the sexual revolution boosted by the same. If we don't address these root causes honestly and with intellectual rigor - if instead we follow the SJW's preferred course and forcibly redistribute the riches of the so-called "privileged" - we will fail to cure the disease and foment a lot of chaos and resentment in the process.<br />
<br />
And how does the above apply to the field of science fiction and fantasy? Well, just as injustices in the real world can often be laid at the feet of leftists, injustices in the fandom can often be similarly attributed. For example: If there's one privilege that white, "cis-het" male SFF authors enjoy, it's the privilege of writing whatever the hell they want without feeling the pressure to "represent." Authors of color like Sarah Hoyt, meanwhile, are chided by New York publishers if they <b>don't</b> write about their "heritage" and toe the party line. Is this the fault of the Sad Puppies campaign? Hardly. The belief that culture is inherited and not a choice is a tenet of SJW radicals, not their opponents.<br />
<br />
But let's now take a larger view: As I recently <a href="http://rightfans.blogspot.com/2014/06/a-brain-dump-on-diversity-in-sff-part-ii.html" target="_blank">observed</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Inequities in the fandom, I suspect, stem from inequities in the way we rear and educate our children. Writers are not born; they are <b>bred.</b> My parents tell me that I've always had an imagination and a natural talent for writing, but that talent would've wholly languished were it not for my "word-rich" childhood. In order to write, I had to <b>read</b> first to see how it could be done effectively -- and my parents were educated enough to encourage the habit. What's more, I had to attend strong schools at which I could learn the conventions of my native language and be exposed to literature that was not available in my father's personal library -- and here too, my parents' eternal vigilance ensured that I largely got exactly what I needed. Unfortunately, not all children are offered these same opportunities -- and <b>that </b>is where the true problem lies. If you want more minority authors in the fandom, take the long view: Catch good prospects when they're children and make <b>damned</b> sure they are not shortchanged by the lousy curricula and disciplinary chaos that disproportionately impact their communities via the dysfunctional urban public schools. Band together and create after-school tutoring clubs to build proficiency in reading and writing. Start writing groups for inner city kids. Drive around in a truck and pass out books to kids in culturally impoverished neighborhoods. <b>Build literacy and cultural capital wherever they are absent or tragically insufficient.</b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In sum: Go from the ground up, and the impact will be lasting.</blockquote>
This path, of course, is <b>much</b> harder - and consequently less attractive to the internet activist - than simply demanding equity in our annual awards. It is, however, the only path that will lead to genuine and organic diversity in the fandom -- and the only path whose results will be permanent and universally lauded.<br />
<br />
Of course, the other thing the typical SJW fails to understand is that privilege doesn't <b>always</b> cut in one direction. <b>Privilege and power are multidimensional and dependent on the context</b> -- a fact dramatically highlighted by the events of the past week. I've lost count of how many influential media outlets have parroted the SJW viewpoint - without making any attempt to contact Larry Correia or Brad Torgersen, mind - that the Sad Puppies are a racist, misogynistic outsider group intent on destroying the Hugo Awards. Some conservative media have attempted to respond, yes, but I ask again: Whose narrative is getting more mainstream exposure in the end? And what does that suggest in re: which faction <b>really</b> holds a position of power in the fandom as a whole?<br />
<br />
Or, to put it another way: If Larry Correia and Brad Torgersen are the privileged participants in this controversy, why don't <b>they</b> have a direct line to <i>Entertainment Weekly</i>?<br />
<br />
No: <b>If you have the media in your corner, you don't get to claim that you are the downtrodden. </b>You also don't get to claim that status if the folks on your side feel perfectly free to make politicized pronouncements in inappropriate contexts while the folks on our side bite their tongues. As Sarah Hoyt <a href="http://accordingtohoyt.com/2015/03/31/the-scarlet-letters/" target="_blank">recently related</a>, prominent left wing SFF authors see nothing wrong in using a con-provided platform to sing the praises of Howard Dean -- and fans of that bent see nothing wrong in insulting John Ringo to his face by insinuating that he is pro-slavery. You may think I'm kidding about that last part, but <a href="http://rightfans.blogspot.com/2011/09/dragoncon-2011-highlights-and-lowlights.html" target="_blank">this happened at Dragon Con just a few years ago</a>, and it caused one of my acquaintances to gafiate -- at least when it comes to volunteering for cons. Now think real hard: <b>Why</b> are these SJW's so confident and so brazen? <b>Because they're in charge.</b> They're not "speaking truth to power"; they <b>are</b> the power. They have control of the field's professional organization <b>and</b> the backing of big-name editors. <b>We</b> have -- the indies and a few Baen authors. Whoo.<br />
<br />
Bottom line, when the left chides my friends for their supposed "privilege," I'm inclined to scoff. They may - <b>may</b> - benefit from certain advantages in other arenas, but in <b>this</b> particular fight? Nope. The radicals' Manichean categories simply do not reflect reality.<br />
<br />
(Coming up next time: The question of "quality.")The Right Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649094767960738820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4512901970142754617.post-82383359528405853782015-04-08T09:31:00.002-07:002015-04-09T10:02:43.838-07:00Links of Interest: Anticommunist Ponies and the HugosAs many of you readers may have noticed, this has been quite an explosive week. The Hugo nominations were finally released last Saturday to a storm - no, a <b>hurricane</b> - of controversy. I'll link to some remarks on <b>that</b> tempest in a tea cup in a bit. First, however, I'd like to draw attention to Saturday's season-opener for <i>My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic</i>, which, in <b>these</b> quarters, might arouse considerable interest:<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://thefederalist.com/2015/04/08/my-little-pony-to-children-marxism-is-not-magic/" target="_blank">My Little Pony to Children: Marxism Is Not Magic</a></div>
<div>
Brandon Morse, The Federalist</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I feel it’s necessary to preface this article by stating that I am not a brony. I’ve met a couple, and I don’t exactly…get it.</blockquote>
<div>
Don't worry, Brandon. I don't think you lose your man card by appreciating a good allegory -- even if the show is targeted to little girls.</div>
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
After the leader has been exposed, the town revolts, reclaiming their cutie marks and thus their individuality. Using their reclaimed unique skills, they rescue the main characters’ marks and thus their powers, while chasing the villain into a mountain cave system, where they lose her. The show ends with the now-unique and fun-looking village having a party. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
To children, this message is clear. It’s better to be yourself than to be the same as everyone else. What they won’t realize is that the show uses many references to the real world to do it.</blockquote>
<div>
I was actually thinking of Kurt Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron" while watching these episodes the other night -- and I agree that the choice of theme was quite remarkable. I know many in my audience (of gun-totin' dudes and the Odd girls who love them) may balk at this suggestion, but -- go and watch it. Don't let the ponies and all the pink distract you from the pure awesome.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But anyway, now to the Hugos. <b>Dear. Lord. </b></div>
<div>
<b><br />
</b></div>
<div>
To peruse the final shortlist, click <a href="http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/2015-hugo-awards/" target="_blank">here</a>. Personally, I was quite shocked at how well certain despondent infant canines performed-- and I was <b>doubly</b> shocked to see the dominance of Vox Day's alternative selections. I consider Day a professional shit-stirrer who is much too extreme for my taste and consequently read him only on occasion, so I had no idea he had that kind of a following.<br />
<br />
As you might expect, once this result was confirmed, fandom proceeded to <b>lose its collective mind</b> -- and the noise drew the attention of certain mainstream media outlets, <a href="https://otherwheregazette.wordpress.com/2015/04/06/hoisting-the-black-flag/" target="_blank">who dispensed with all the dull fact-checking stuff and uncritically ran one side's preferred narrative</a>. I'll give you one guess which side that happened to be.<br />
<br />
(In the interest of fairness, I should note that <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/london/2015/04/04/hugo-awards-nominations-swept-by-anti-sjw-anti-authoritarian-authors/" target="_blank">Breitbart</a> and <a href="http://thefederalist.com/2015/04/08/the-hugo-awards-culture-wars/" target="_blank">The Federalist</a> have both published articles favoring the Puppies. Still, in a contest between these alternative conservative publications and <i>Entertainment Weekly</i>, who's going to win on the influence front?)<br />
<br />
I've been a Sad Puppy booster from the beginning (though I am also an independent-minded cuss who posted her own personal slate <a href="http://rightfans.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-wet-irritated-kittens-slate-part-i.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://rightfans.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-wet-irritated-kittens-slate-part-ii.html" target="_blank">here</a>). I know these folks' intentions, and they are <b>not</b> to scuttle the Hugos or drive out "diverse" voices. Granted, there <b>is</b> a political tinge in the movement; a good chunk of us <b>are</b> libertarians or conservatives of various flavors, which is why Breitbart and The Federalist took notice. But that is an accident of the Sad Puppy philosophy, which stresses <b>ideological</b> <b>diversity</b> <b>and solid story-telling</b> over navel gazing and genre-destructive literary pretensions. Said philosophy operates on strongly individualist assumptions, so it will naturally attract those who hold political views built on the same base.<br />
<br />
And yes -- I can admit there's probably also a bit of spite involved (directed not at the Hugo Awards specifically but at the fandom elite). Please excuse my French here, but people are really fucking angry. Why? Well, Larry Correia explains our thoughts pretty well in the following posts:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://monsterhunternation.com/2015/04/06/a-letter-to-the-smofs-moderates-and-fence-sitters-from-the-author-who-started-sad-puppies/" target="_blank">A Letter to the SMOFs, Moderates, and Fence-Sitters from the Author Who Started Sad Puppies</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://monsterhunternation.com/2015/04/07/addendum-to-yesterdays-letter/" target="_blank">Addendum to Yesterday's Letter</a><br />
<br />
And I suggest you read the following post by Brad Torgersen as well:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://bradrtorgersen.wordpress.com/2015/04/07/fort-living-room/" target="_blank">A Dispatch from Fort Living Room</a><br />
<br />
For <b>years</b> now, a vociferous and powerful minority of radical left-wing science fiction fans has worked hard to beat down every nail that dares stick out. Indeed, <a href="http://rightfans.blogspot.com/2010/10/pardon-interruption-politcal.html" target="_blank">I wrote about this very phenomenon</a> as early as <b>2010</b>. <b>Any</b> deviation from approved groupthink, no matter how mild, has resulted in relentless bullying and, in some cases, <a href="http://rightfans.blogspot.com/2014/02/political-correctness-still-killing.html" target="_blank">successful Stalinist purges</a>. Quite frankly, we nails are sick of it. We're sick of being forced to self-censor, we're sick of being dishonestly vilified for having contrary opinions, and we're sick of the double standard that forces us to disavow characters like Vox Day while virulently racist SJW's like K. Tempest Bradford get a pass. Do you get it? Do you understand the origin of this uprising? Do you now understand why some folks on our side have been less than polite? Why do <b>we </b>have to play by the Marquess of Queensbury rules while the other side gets to wear metal cleats?<br />
<br />
I have more to say on this whole brouhaha, but I need to head to work, so it'll have to wait until tomorrow. In the meantime... enjoy the posts I've linked above! </div>
The Right Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649094767960738820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4512901970142754617.post-40616521133410188652015-03-31T23:30:00.000-07:002015-04-01T16:25:25.346-07:00Commentary: Who Really Loves Science Fiction?Imagine the following scenario: A married man insists loudly and often that he absolutely adores his wife. However, every time he's out at the bar with his buddies, the only thing he does is put her down: his wife doesn't know how to properly load the dish washer, she's getting fat and losing her youthful good looks, she doesn't seem to know when to shut the hell up -- on and on and on. Would his companions be wrong in questioning the sincerity of his supposed affection?<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Bringing this up is no doubt tantamount to questioning someone's patriotism, but I have to wonder: <b>Do</b> these SJW "TrueFen" <b>actually</b> love science fiction and fantasy? Or do they love "science fiction" and "fantasy" the way feminists love "women" -- as easy-to-manipulate instruments to advance other goals?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It's one thing to offer constructive critique. Matt and I have been doing that for years. It's also laudable to seek fresh blood and new perspectives; a genre that does not evolve is a genre that will eventually grow outdated and fade from view. Still, a <b>genuine</b> aficionado pursues such change while <b>also</b> paying decent respect to said genre's antecedents and "deep norms" (to use Eric S. Raymond's formulation). A genuine aficionado recognizes that he or she stands on the shoulders of giants and consequently does not automatically attribute perceived defects in early works to malice aforethought. And this, quite frankly, does not describe the typical SJW's mode of discourse.<br />
<br />
Instead, the SJW eschews nuance and engages in rank presentism. Consider: The bulk of Robert Heinlein's work was written half a century ago and thus reflects the attitudes and mores of a very different time. And yet -- Heinlein <b>did</b> try to include minority and mixed-race characters and alternative sexual lifestyles in the stories he wrote. Indeed, by all accounts, Heinlein's views on race and sex were <b>progressive</b> for his period. Does this matter to the SJW? Of course not. The SJW brands Heinlein a racist, sexist pig for failing to adhere to the stringent standards of <b>today's</b> port side and RAGEQUITS his novels in disgust.<br />
<br />
I could be wrong, but when I read the commentary emanating from the fandom's hard left, I frequently think of the husband in the above hypothetical. In the SJW's litany of complaints, there's a lot of <b>bile</b> -- and very little simple enjoyment or gratitude. </div>
The Right Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649094767960738820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4512901970142754617.post-64693250322542590082015-03-30T23:30:00.000-07:002015-04-08T07:25:42.371-07:00Links of Interest: Battlespace PrepI think there might've been a leak.<br />
<br />
The final slate for the 2015 Hugo Awards will not be officially announced until Saturday, April 4, but people are already raising a hue and cry about us Sad Puppies and Irritated Kittens and how dishonest, dirty, bad, and wrong we all are. Fortunately, we are all quite capable of defending ourselves and our campaign.<br />
<br />
Brad Torgersen, the standard-bearer for Sad Puppies 3, was the first out of the gate:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
See, Worldcon is like the proverbial nail house. In the 1950s it was nestled in among the fresh post-war suburbs, bright and pretty. The people who lived there were young, or at least younger than they are now, and quite proud of their house and its vibrant, if eccentric, collective personality. For much of the 1960s and into the 1970s, the little house retained most of its original flavor. New folks were brought in, some of the originals left, or died. The culture and basic mindset of the house was kept the same. And everything seemed more or less fine . . . until a guy named George Lucas showed up with his gargantuan set of plans for a huge, gleaming city called Star Wars. Suddenly, skyscrapers and apartment complexes and freeways and all manner of businesses began to shoot up around the house. Until, in the year 2015, the house has become an anachronism. Cheered by a few. Ignored by most. Intensely proud of the fact it defies the world around it. Crumbling at the foundation. And also intensely interested in making sure nobody from the sports bar or the yoga studio or the Gold’s Gym down the street, comes into the little dilapidated house, and puts his or her feet up on the use-worn coffee table. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Because anyone who is not a blooded member of the nail house, doesn’t get to be a “real fan.” </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
But the award for “real fans” gets to be “the most prestigious award” in SF/F.<br />
See how that works, folks? It’s Taste-Maker 101 strategy. A few, deciding for all.<br />
You’re the outsiders. You are not the real fans. You don’t get to have a say in the Hugos, because you’re not welcome at the table. You haven’t been to two dozen Worldcons and volunteered a thousand hours in various chore-laden positions on the concom or the gofer staff. You didn’t earn your cred, man! Get off their lawn, man! Screw you guys and your video games and your 21st century pop culture sci-fi! So you like The Avengers and the Marvel Cinematic Universe? You’ve got a Storm Trooper costume? Maybe you play Skyrim or Borderlands? Puh-leaze! That doesn’t count. Only real fans get to decide what SF/F is important and worthy of recognition! The other 399,997,500 “fans” out there? You didn’t pay your dues. You don’t belong. (Read more <a href="https://bradrtorgersen.wordpress.com/2015/03/29/nail-house/" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://bradrtorgersen.wordpress.com/2015/03/30/former-tor-editor-still-longs-to-gatekeep-the-field/" target="_blank">here</a>.)</blockquote>
<br />
Brad's remarks were soon followed up by others:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://novelninja.wordpress.com/2015/03/30/piers-plowman-and-the-hugo-awards/" target="_blank">Piers Plowman and the Hugo Awards</a> (Novel Ninja): This writer correctly points out that anyone can plunk down the money for a supporting membership, that we Sad Puppies and Irritated Kittens followed the rules in that regard, and that the increased participation that has resulted from our campaign can only be a good thing for WorldCon and the Hugo Awards.</li>
<li><a href="http://monsterhunternation.com/2015/03/30/sad-puppies-update-honesty-from-the-other-side/" target="_blank">Sad Puppies Update: Honesty from the Other Side</a> (Monster Hunter Nation): Larry Correia's post here contains a link to the other side's freak-out and his own response. "But it is too late now, Teresa. The Sad Puppies voters got involved with WorldCon, paid their dues, and bought memberships so they could participate. The problem is that they’re the *wrong* kind of fans. You guys should have just been honest to begin with and none of this would have ever happened."</li>
<li><a href="http://accordingtohoyt.com/2015/03/31/the-scarlet-letters/" target="_blank">All the Scarlet Letters</a> (Sarah Hoyt): "One of the most interesting things – and by interesting I mean scary – about the reaction to Sad Puppies 3 is that many people who are anti-puppy (always wanted to write that) were mad at Brad for 'not telling people you were putting them on the slate.' [...] What are the Hugos? They’re awards, right? They’re awards given, supposedly, for the best science fiction and fantasy of the year, right? In theory, theoretically as it were, who is supposed to nominate: why, Lord love a duck, right? Any reader of science fiction who pays at least the supporting WorldCon membership. And who gets to make recommendations for nominations? Well, from what I’ve seen over the years, anyone with an interest in sf/f. I could, tomorrow, (well, not tomorrow, but at the beginning of the next set) put my list of recommends on the blog, whether I meant to vote for them or not. (I.e. whether I paid the membership or not.) Readers, reviewers and various other side-spurs of science fiction do that pretty much every year. So, if I did that, would I have any obligation, no matter how remote, to tell people I was putting them on my slate? Why? I mean, I might, as a friendly gesture, send a note saying 'I love your books and I’m putting such and such on the slate.' BUT WHY would I HAVE to? I mean, when I won the Prometheus and the two other times I’ve been nominated, all I got was an email saying 'you’ve been nominated.' No one warned me. And trust me, ten years ago that announcement would have frozen me solid, instead of causing me to dance in my office. That is because ten years ago, I lived in a state of fear. And the fact that my fear was real and serious is justified by that accusation to Brad, 'You bad bad man, when you decided these people deserved awards, you didn’t TELL THEM you were putting them on a recommend list.' I lived in fear because of the implied end of that sentence 'And you knew that because you associated them with you, a known conservative, we would make their lives miserable and do our best to end their careers.'"</li>
</ul>
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My personal comment regarding this controversy is this: Most on the anti-Puppy side are out-and-proud progressives who, more than likely, oppose real-world attempts to police the franchise and ensure the eligibility of every participating voter. I would also bet solid money that many of these folks also sympathize with "mandatory voting" proposals and a whole host of other reforms to "increase participation" and "promote democracy." But now that a grass-roots rebellion is threatening their "safe space", they've completely changed their tune. How interesting.<br />
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I don't think anyone should vote in an American election unless he or she is a confirmed citizen of the US and has made an effort to stay informed on the issues; likewise, I don't think anyone should vote in the Hugo Awards unless he or she is truly a fan of literary science fiction and fantasy. The trouble is, <b>my</b> definition of a "true fan" is very much at odds with, say, Hayden's. I think anyone who has read SFF for a solid chunk of his or her conscious life and can cite works from the past year that he or she has enjoyed counts as a "true fan;" the anti-Puppies - who constantly tout their commitment to inclusivity - wish to apply other litmus tests that, low-and-behold, favor the fandom's elite 1%. The hypocrisy here is striking to say the least. <br />
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<b>Update on Tuesday, 6PM - </b>I also urge you to check out Larry Correia's latest: <a href="http://monsterhunternation.com/2015/03/31/sad-puppies-update-the-melt-down-continues/" target="_blank">The Melt Down Continues</a>. Lots of good stuff there.The Right Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649094767960738820noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4512901970142754617.post-79357776139487321312015-03-06T23:30:00.000-08:002015-03-13T03:50:39.964-07:00The Wet & Irritated Kittens Slate, Part II - Short WorksA few weeks ago, I shared <a href="http://rightfans.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-wet-irritated-kittens-slate-part-i.html" target="_blank">my personal nominations in the Novel category</a> for the upcoming Hugo Awards. As the deadline looms, 'tis now time for me to share my picks for the short fiction categories.<br />
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You may notice as we proceed that I haven't filled the entire slate. The explanation for this is actually quite simple: It's difficult to impress me in fewer words. As I was paging through my old zines trying to decide what to add to my list, I didn't find much that I thought was truly striking. What this says about the state of the short fiction market is, to say the least, concerning.<br />
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But, without further ado, here are my picks:<br />
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<b>Novellas:</b><br />
<ul>
<li><b>“Flow," Arlan Andrews Sr., Analog, November 2014 </b>- This fantasy adventure expertly captures man's desire to explore and learn more.</li>
<li><b><i>Big Boys Don’t Cry, </i>Tom Kratman, Castalia House</b> - I knew I was going to nominate this one as soon as I'd read it, as its subversion of a popular military science fiction trope is both troubling and necessary. See my review <a href="http://rightfans.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-wednesday-short-tom-kratmans-big.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</li>
</ul>
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<b>Novelettes:</b></div>
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<li><b>"Life Flight," Brad Torgersen, Analog, March 2014</b> - From my <a href="http://rightfans.blogspot.com/2014/01/surfing-human-wave-brad-torgersens-life.html" target="_blank">original review</a>: "...the main character's emotional arc is profoundly interesting -- and, thankfully, morally grounded. When his childhood dreams are tragically ripped away, he initially loses himself in suicidal ideation and a selfish sense of entitlement. But as he grows older and wiser, he realizes he can still find meaning in his life by focusing his attentions on the <i>other</i> people on board -- and ultimately, while he is robbed of the chance to set foot in the promised land, he's strangely okay with that result because he knows being the guardian and shepherd of the mission still <i>mattered</i>."</li>
<li><b>“Championship B’tok," Edward M. Lerner, Analog, September 2014</b> - I'm a little confused on this one. The Puppies have it listed under Novelette, but my digital copy of Analog puts this in the Novella category. At any rate, this is a tantalizing introduction to a space opera universe whose mysteries definitely hit several of my squee buttons.</li>
</ul>
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<b>Short Stories:</b></div>
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<li><b>"The Golden Knight," K.D. Julicher, Baen Website</b> - From my <a href="http://rightfans.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-late-wednesday-short-kdjulichers.html" target="_blank">original review</a>: "I love, love, <i>love</i> platonic elder-younger pairings in which the younger's boundless loyalty and innocence in some way redeem the elder. Such stories, I feel, speak to the more profound <i>spiritual</i> reason why most of us become parents (and why I, in the absence of a spouse, have elected to work as a teacher). Biological imperatives to reproduce aside, there is also an instinctual recognition that caring for our children is a salvific enterprise -- and the fact that many succumb to the pop culture's distorted and idolatrous visions of parenting does not in any way negate the nobility of the animating impulse."</li>
<li><b>“Totaled," Kary English, Galaxy’s Edge, July 2014</b> - An excellent sci-fi concept conveyed with genuine human emotion. I hope to see more from this author.</li>
<li><b>"Abandoned River, Dry Water," Jane Lebak, Sci Phi Journal #1</b> - From an <a href="http://rightfans.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-wednesday-short-sci-phi-journal.html" target="_blank">earlier review</a>: "The tale it implies - of a misplaced Catholic missionary attempting to minister to an alien race he was not prepared to encounter - is both haunting and poignant -- reason enough to look for some of Jane Lebak's other work."</li>
</ul>
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Now I must hurry and log these choices with WorldCon! After all, the kittens are waiting.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.digdang.com/media/images/wet_kitten_angry_kitten_little_ball_of_hate_15797.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.digdang.com/media/images/wet_kitten_angry_kitten_little_ball_of_hate_15797.jpg" height="400" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Get on with it already!</td></tr>
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The Right Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649094767960738820noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4512901970142754617.post-83992903517166996842015-03-05T23:30:00.000-08:002015-04-03T20:12:25.351-07:00Commentary: What Was Star Trek?Just before bed most nights, I like to wind down by watching Netflix. Until recently, my poison of choice was usually <i>House</i> -- until my brother accidentally convinced me that a third full re-watch of <i>Star Trek: Deep Space Nine</i> was in order.<br />
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As I implied in my <a href="http://rightfans.blogspot.com/2015/02/commentary-another-fanifesto.html" target="_blank">FANifesto</a>, DS9 was my entry point into the entire Star Trek universe. It also happens to be my favorite "generation" of Trek for reasons that have only multiplied with time. Indeed, after the upcoming Hugo deadline has passed, I intend to share twelve little things that happened during DS9's third - and weakest - season that nonetheless help to explain my passionate affection for Trek's "red-headed stepchild" and illustrate the nature of the show's genius.</div>
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Today, meanwhile, I want to address an argument that erupted on Facebook recently regarding the nature of the Trek franchise as a whole. </div>
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It all started when William Lehman, a contributor at the Otherwhere Gazette, made a passing remark in <a href="https://otherwheregazette.wordpress.com/2015/02/16/destroy-the-myth-destroy-the-culture/" target="_blank">an otherwise unrelated post</a> that seemed, to some, to suggest that Trek's legacy was chiefly technological. I'm not sure this is what Lehman was really arguing, but no matter: Some folks who were involved in the production of the original Star Trek series objected strongly to this characterization, insisting that Gene Roddenberry's intent was wholly sociological and political -- and that the technology was simply an afterthought. "The Original Series wasn't about the engineering as much as it was about the 'Social Justice Warriors Glittery hoo ha' stuff," David Gerrold wrote in one typical response. "I was there. I know what Gene Roddenberry envisioned. He went on at length about it in almost every meeting. He wasn't about technology, he was about envisioning a world that works for everyone, with no one and nothing left out. Gene Roddenberry was one of the great Social Justice Warriors. You don't get to claim him or his show as a shield of virtue for a cause he would have disdained."</div>
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Far be it for me to dispute Gerrold's authority on the subject. Roddenberry was indeed a mid-century progressive and a secular humanist, and that worldview <b>did</b> influence the entire Star Trek franchise. That's why I happily conceded recently that Trek is not a conservative "text"; any show that presupposes a utopian Earth that has united under a one-world, socialist government is certainly not animated by the thought of, say, Edmund Burke.<br />
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<b>But the reality of Star Trek is more complicated than the vision of one man.</b> Even if we concede Gene Roddenberry's likely affinity for the causes of today's social justice warriors (something I do <b>not</b> actually acknowledge, as I'll make clear in a future post), <b>that does not mean the left owns Trek</b>. Sorry, but I categorically refuse to accept such a proposition. Trek was the product of many minds working in concert -- and some of these minds inserted things that didn't exactly cleave to Roddenberry's idea of "how things should be."<br />
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Consider, for example, <i>Bread and Circuses</i>, whose script arose out of the joint efforts of Gene Roddenberry and Gene Coon. For those who are bad at titles, this is the episode in which the Enterprise comes upon a planet on which a society modeled on Ancient Rome has survived long enough to develop the media tools of 20th-century Earth. Said episode mocks both the Roman Empire and the television studio culture of the 1960's -- but it also has this odd moment at the very end in which the slaves in the featured society are revealed to be following a faith analogous to <b>Christianity</b>. If Trek is all about Roddenberry's fiercely secular, progressive politics, how did <b>that</b> get in there?</div>
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Actually, while we're on the subject of <i>Bread and Circuses</i>, let me bring up something else -- something that, I believe, no one has yet mentioned. The aforementioned episode is not generally considered to be one of the original Trek's best, but it happens to be one that I personally enjoy for a reason that is neither technological nor political: Spock and McCoy.</div>
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Is there room in Star Trek's legacy for scenes like this -- scenes devoted to the <b>characters</b> and their relationships with one another? In my opinion, <b>this</b> is the most under-appreciated reason why the original Star Trek series endures: Gene Roddenberry, Gene Coon, et. al. never forgot the importance of writing <b>people</b> the viewer could <b>care </b>about. We didn't lament the passing of Leonard Nimoy days ago because of Trek's "social commentary" or its gadgets. We lamented his passing because Nimoy portrayed a fictional alien whose rich history, deep relationships, and fascinating internal conflicts <b>resonated</b> with the audience -- and <b>that</b> makes Trek a wholly legitimate example to deploy when we anti-SJW writers make our arguments about the importance of putting the craft of storytelling before the message.The Right Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649094767960738820noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4512901970142754617.post-90414866392438542432015-03-04T07:06:00.001-08:002015-03-04T07:07:14.005-08:00BOOK BOMBING the Puppies' Picks for the Campbell & Related Works<b>Reminder:</b> Your Hugo nominations are due next Tuesday evening (March 10) before 23:59 Pacific!<br />
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I will be posting the Wet & Irritated Kittens' picks for the short fiction categories just before the deadline. In the meantime, check out the Sad Puppies' suggestions for the Campbell Award and the "Related Works" category. Larry Correia is book bombing them TODAY:</div>
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<a href="http://monsterhunternation.com/2015/03/04/sad-puppies-book-bomb-best-related-work-and-campbell-award-for-best-new-writer/" target="_blank">Sad Puppies BOOK BOMB! Best Related Work and Campbell Award for Best New Writer</a></div>
The Right Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649094767960738820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4512901970142754617.post-35687587740919089362015-03-03T05:42:00.000-08:002015-03-03T05:42:28.304-08:00Open Thread: Now Taking RequestsApologies for missing my post yesterday; I was battling a killer headache.<br />
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Never fear, however: the missed review (of Kal Spriggs' <i>The Fallen Race</i>) will appear back to back with my review of Kenton Kilgore's <i>Lost Dogs </i><b>next Monday, March 9</b>.<br />
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In the meantime, I'd like to give you, my readers, an opportunity to influence the content of this blog. What would <b>you</b> like to see? Which topics should I explore? What books should I read and review? If there is something in particular you're dying to see, please leave a comment below!The Right Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649094767960738820noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4512901970142754617.post-40594711265568902202015-02-27T09:38:00.003-08:002015-02-27T09:47:16.679-08:00Commentary: Another FANifesto<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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At the request of <a href="https://bradrtorgersen.wordpress.com/2015/02/22/my-fanifesto/" target="_blank">Brad Torgersen</a>, I hereby present my FANifesto:<br />
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I was born to be a fan. Indeed, I was born on the tenth anniversary of the moon landing. If that wasn't a significant omen, I don't know what is.<br />
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I entered this world the daughter of a table-top gamer and science fiction fan who used the money he earned at the Naval Academy to amass a trunk full of books. Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein, Niven, Pournelle -- he bought and read them all. And when I was old enough, he started giving those books to me.<br />
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I was carefully trained: trained to imagine what it'd be like to live on Mars or to farm on Ganymede; trained to be curious about the wild universe "out there" beyond our modest planet; trained to value human achievement and technological progress. And the training began early; when I was a mere toddler, Dad's choice for bedtime reading was <i>Scientific American</i>. He used to set me on his knee and coo that quarks were even smaller than the end of my nose.<br />
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And Mom? Mom's tastes ran more toward horror and the paranormal, but that certainly didn't mean she was mundane.<br />
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When we were young children, my brother and I created and acted out elaborate tales about a futuristic family who lived in a climate-controlled dome in Antarctica. Back then, we didn't know this was called science fiction, but we still knew it was fun.<br />
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Years passed; the grooming continued. Consequently, when I discovered Star Trek in 1993 after the premiere of DS9, I was ready to welcome it with open arms. And when Babylon 5 aired for the first time shortly thereafter, I embraced that series as well.<br />
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In high school, I started going to conventions -- and even spoke on a few panels. At a discussion covering "strong female characters" in Star Trek, I - an upstart kid who'd dressed as a Bajoran - broke with the prevailing opinion and declared that Captain Janeway didn't hold a candle to Major Kira. This is a memory that still amuses my father to this day. <br />
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In college, at my father's urging, I convinced one professor to let me write a term paper on the evolution of science fiction as seen through an analysis of <i>Starship Troopers</i>, <i>The Forever War</i>, and <i>Ender's Game </i>-- and got an A.<br />
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In my early adulthood, I picked up a few other fandoms, including Farscape, Stargate, and the new Battlestar Galactica. I also got involved with Dragon Con; Dragon Con 2015 will be my 12th -- and my 9th as a volunteer with the Science Fiction Literature programming track, for which I've spoken on topics ranging from the writings of C.S. Lewis to the worlds of Larry Niven. Through Dragon Con, I became acquainted with Baen, Tor, Ace, Pyr and a whole slew of micro-publishers and independents. I also learned to describe what I <b>really</b> wanted in a work of fantastic literature - <b>inspiration </b>- and came to dislike those within fandom who seek to turn fantasy and science fiction into instruments of social engineering -- and to exclude fen who commit Badthink and have Wrongfun.<br />
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Let me hereby declare that if you consume science fiction and/or fantasy on a regular basis, you are a fan and are welcome in my tent -- even if what you enjoy does not come stamped with an elite seal of approval. You don't have to attend conventions or pass any other tests to "prove" your fannish bona fides. I know some of you are shy or are in financial straits and would never assume you share the privileges - for example, an understanding boss - that <b>I</b> enjoy.<br />
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And let me also declare my firm belief that fandom is not a zero sum game -- that this little universe <b>is</b> big enough for all of us and that there is no need to pull anyone down so that others may be lifted up. We don't all have to agree. Lockstep agreement, in fact, is poisonous for <b>any</b> field of endeavor and is especially poisonous for fiction, which hinges on the ability to render characters who are complete and sensible human beings. In order to build a functioning and open-minded fandom, we must instead allow <b>genuine</b> conversations with predictable rules that apply to <b>everyone</b> equally. "Punching up" is merely a rationalization for hatred and vengeance; there should be no punching period. "Othering" is not arguing in good faith -- even if your target is the "white, straight cis male."<br />
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By all means, let us have Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations so long as diversity of <b>thought</b> is also respected and revered. There is literally nothing stopping us now; the guards have left the gates unlocked. What a shame it would be if we did not take advantage of the opportunity. What a shame it would be if we stayed in the prison yard, too occupied with purging the impure to realize we can all run free, the wind blowing through our hair. The Right Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649094767960738820noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4512901970142754617.post-79785106399770412362015-02-26T18:11:00.002-08:002015-02-26T18:14:49.067-08:00Guest Post: Shattering Narratives... And Kneecaps, by Declan Finn<i>I just realized today that I forgot to post this particular contribution from Declan Finn. Oops! Hope he doesn't hold that - or the mixed review I wrote on Monday - against me.</i><br />
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A while back, <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/writestream/2014/11/18/writestream-tuesday-shatter-the-narrative" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">I was on a radio show where the topic was "shattering the narrative."</a> It was political in nature, but it basically took stories that "everyone" knows to be true and then ripped them to shreds. I would rather shatter kneecaps than narratives, but I'm told that's illegal.</div>
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I hate narratives. Odd, I know, for an author of fiction, but I hate narrative in everyday life. There's a difference between "tell me a story" -- be it fiction or not -- and "this MUST BE TRUE because it sounds right."</div>
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Heck. I'll give you a for-instance: What do the UVA rape case, GamerGate, and Dan Brown have in common? They succeed because of liberal narratives</div>
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In the case of UVA, <i>Rolling Stone </i>never once checked the story of "gang rape at a frat house." They never talked with the university or the accuser's friends or even looked at fraternity membership rosters to see if any of the names given by the V/C (victim / complainant) matched the names on the fraternity rolls. After all, her story <i>sounded </i>right. It checked <i>alllllll</i> the little boxes that every good liberal wants to hear: male patriarchy / evil male culture / a victim all neat and tidy with a bow on top...</div>
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And then the story fell apart at the barest perusal of the facts. <i>The Washington Post</i> debunked most of the story with a simple fact-check. That was it.</div>
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Then there's Anita Sarkeesian and the creatures who inspired GamerGate. For them, the story is "video gamers are evil misogynistic psychopaths and their games are misogyny in purist form, and THIS! MUST! CHANGE!" This is a charge that might work a little better if the examples cited weren't cherry picked slices of video games shown as representing the whole of the game. </div>
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You know, if honesty had anything to do with it.</div>
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But it fits the narrative. The GamerGate losers have painted themselves as the victims, bravely standing up to patriarchy, threatened with death, etc, etc, blah blah blah. I'd take them seriously if it weren't so obviously put on.</div>
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And then there's Dan Brown. His works are filled with such historical inaccuracies and patent lies that the historian inside me has a banner moment ... a Bruce Banner moment.</div>
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But <a href="http://apiusman.blogspot.com/2012/05/article-you-knew-was-coming-da-vinci.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Dan Brown's work ticks off all the right boxes</a> -- devout Catholics are evil. Religion hates science. Religion is backwards and stupid and The Truth Will Defeat Religion. And somehow, the truth looks like such a twisted version of Wicca that even my ex the Wiccan wanted to kill Dan Brown.</div>
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Let's ignore that Da Vinci worked for the church an awful lot. Let's ignore that most scientific advancements were backed by churches. Let's ignore that nuns were the first CEOs of large corporations. Let's ignore that the Catholic church <i>couldn't </i>have excommunicated Newton for his theory of gravity, because Newton was <i>British and Anglican, not Catholic</i>. In fact, let's ignore every last minute of recorded history, because hey, <i>Dan Brown fits the narrative.</i></div>
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Sigh.</div>
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Here's a funny fact for you: Tom Clancy murdered Dan Brown before Brown was popular. Don't believe me? In Tom Clancy's book <i>Rainbow 6</i>, his heroes went up against a band of eco-terrorists who wanted to wipe out all human life on Earth in order to save the planet, the adorable widdle animals, etc. By the end of the book, well, things end badly for them.</div>
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In Dan Brown's latest schlock fest, <i>Inferno</i>, (SPOILERS!) the "good ending" is to wipe out one third of the planet. Because that's what's best for everyone. Because of overpopulation and the environment, don't you know? Say what you like, he fits the narrative.</div>
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If one looks at <a href="http://tinyurl.com/co5b7ry" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">my pet issue, Pope Pius XII</a>, you see much the same thing. Pius XII has been known as "Hitler's Pope" ever since the book of the same name came out in the late 90s. The story was simple: Pope Pius XII, the Pope of World War II, either did nothing to save Jews from the Holocaust / inspired the Holocaust / was responsible for the Holocaust. The version depends on how deeply psychotic you wish to go. The depressing part about it is that there is so much of a preponderance of evidence to the contrary, <a href="http://ow.ly/w6db6" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">I made three</a> <a href="http://tinyurl.com/n8rpmdg" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">books out of it</a>.</div>
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But this ... all of this ... is what ideology does, and what makes it different from a philosophy. </div>
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A good philosophy takes data, and will mold around the data, incorporating it into the philosophical system. It's like Thomas Aquinas; philosophers like Peter Kreeft and the late Ralph McInerny have used current science and effortlessly plugged it into Aquinas' natural law.</div>
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<i>Ideology</i> will take the facts, then warp, twist, and shape them so that they fit the ideology. It's like <i>the New York Times</i>: All the News that fits the tint. Truth doesn't matter, just the narrative. It's like the line from the film <i>Basic</i>: you gotta tell the story right.</div>
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And it doesn't matter who the story hurts. I know almost a dozen rape victims, so I can only <i>begin </i>to imagine how much harm the lies of the UVA rape case will bring to actual rape victims and the prosecution of <i>their </i>rapists. The Sarkeesians of the world have already provoked raged- filled reactions from nearly every gamer, and will probably take down several video game sites by the time they're done. And Brown? I can only imagine how many nutcases Brown has prompted to go out and hurt somebody.</div>
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But these narratives have been allowed to exist because the people who spout them are accepted by a certain class of people, who have largely existed within their own echo chambers. </div>
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It's a sad day when I can find more truth in a John Ringo science fiction novel about cannibalistic alien mongol hordes than I can in my local newspaper.</div>
The Right Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649094767960738820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4512901970142754617.post-25666158636389422582015-02-25T09:20:00.003-08:002015-02-25T09:44:25.370-08:00BOOK BOMB for the Sad Puppies Slate!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://cdn.meme.am/instances/500x/59589641.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn.meme.am/instances/500x/59589641.jpg" height="308" width="400" /></a></div>
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From Larry Correia:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"It is time to spread more awareness about Puppy Related Sadness. The following are our suggested nominees for the short fiction categories, novelette and short story. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"The way a Book Bomb normally works is that we pick one good book worthy of more attention, which is available on Amazon, and then we get as many people as possible to buy it in the same day in order to boost it up through the ratings. As the the rating climbs, it gets in front of more people, until it ends up on an Amazon bestseller list, where lots of people who aren’t involved in the Book Bomb see it. Success breeds success, the author gets lots of new readers, but more importantly, the author GETS PAID. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"This Book Bomb is a little different. Because the ones I’m doing right now are to get more people exposed to the works we nominated for the infamous Sad Puppies slate, we’re bombing a bunch of works at the same time. I don’t like putting this many links, but time is of the essence, and next week I’ll post about the Campbell nominees and Best Related Works. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"We did three novellas last week and it was a huge success. They’re still selling well a week later. Overall we sold a couple thousand novellas, which in novellas is freaking huge. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"But shorter fiction is tough, because it isn’t always available for sale by itself, but is usually bundled as part of an anthology, or in a magazine which often isn’t available on Amazon. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"As you can see from the list below, luckily many of these are available on Amazon, and some are available for FREE, and for the ones that you can only get in magazines the Evil Legion of Evil Blue Care Bear of Flamethrowering (i.e. Brad) contacted them and asked for a work of theirs which was available for us to plug. So those won’t be the nominated work from the current year, but if they sound cool, check them out, that way the author GETS PAID."</blockquote>
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And since the Wet & Irritated Kittens are just as enthusiastic in their evangelical capitalism as their canine allies, this is a cause we can <b>certainly</b> get behind!<br />
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<a href="http://monsterhunternation.com/2015/02/25/book-bomb-short-stories-from-the-sad-puppies-slate/" target="_blank">Click here to join in.</a>The Right Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649094767960738820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4512901970142754617.post-78795946160148391372015-02-24T08:18:00.001-08:002015-02-25T01:01:49.804-08:00Commentary: If You Want to Avoid Reading White, Straight, Cis Male Authors for a Year...... have I got a list for you!<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00APA4S0S/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00APA4S0S&linkCode=as2&tag=rigscifrotheo-20&linkId=CTI2BBB5ZNPZ7U6Y" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00APA4S0S&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=rigscifrotheo-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rigscifrotheo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00APA4S0S" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
<b>Sarah A. Hoyt</b>, for example, is a first generation Portuguese immigrant who grew up in an impoverished village (at least by our standards). She is also a winner of the Libertarian Futurist Society's Prometheus Award, which honors outstanding fiction with pro-liberty themes.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00APAH7PQ/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00APAH7PQ&linkCode=as2&tag=rigscifrotheo-20&linkId=KYJGYH5AHWHKBV52" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00APAH7PQ&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=rigscifrotheo-20" /></a><br />
<b>Larry Correia</b> is also a "writer of color" who grew up in disadvantaged circumstances. As he relates in <a href="http://monsterhunternation.com/2015/02/23/the-social-justice-warrior-racist-reading-challenge-a-fisking/" target="_blank">a recent post</a>, "I grew up with all that fancy Portuguese Dairy Farmer Privilege, where I got to have an alcoholic mother and a functionally illiterate father... where I got to spend my formative years knee deep in cow shit at 3:00 AM, so that I could later work my way through Utah State." Despite starting life on the bottom rung, however, Larry persevered and is now a multiple-award-winning urban fantasy author.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KMQ45TO/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00KMQ45TO&linkCode=as2&tag=rigscifrotheo-20&linkId=FGZQ5A43W6YF7LCS" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00KMQ45TO&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=rigscifrotheo-20" /></a><br />
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<b>Jason Cordova</b> is yet another "writer of color" and a survivor of sexual abuse who was bounced from group home to group home in his formative years. After a childhood fighting the oppression of "the system," he went on to write some pretty fun kaiju novels. The one at left is especially noteworthy.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K437Z3I/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00K437Z3I&linkCode=as2&tag=rigscifrotheo-20&linkId=ORG5DJJSE6UNYDGR" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00K437Z3I&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=rigscifrotheo-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rigscifrotheo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00K437Z3I" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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And let's not forget <b>James Young</b>, an up-and-coming African American writer who has dipped his toes in both military science fiction and alternate history. <i>An Unproven Concept</i> is an excellent place to start sampling his work.<br />
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Then there are the womyn. For example:<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GZ9SKSE/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00GZ9SKSE&linkCode=as2&tag=rigscifrotheo-20&linkId=HIBEPAX4RLADTXGR" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00GZ9SKSE&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=rigscifrotheo-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rigscifrotheo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00GZ9SKSE" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
<b>Cedar Sanderson</b>, whose fantasy is much beloved by the members of my household.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MFWIYMM/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00MFWIYMM&linkCode=as2&tag=rigscifrotheo-20&linkId=JNLYQBRYKUHL3EFP" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00MFWIYMM&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=rigscifrotheo-20" /></a><b></b><br />
<b><b><br />
</b></b> <b>Amanda S. Green</b>, who also writes under the pen names Sam Schall and, IIRC, Ellie Ferguson. Amanda plays the field, tackling urban fantasy, space opera, <b>and</b> romance, but no matter the genre, she always writes a ripping good yarn.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004I5BVWE/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004I5BVWE&linkCode=as2&tag=rigscifrotheo-20&linkId=SY45JSC2FHEY4QXN" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B004I5BVWE&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=rigscifrotheo-20" /></a><b></b><br />
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</b></b> <b>Karina Fabian</b>, whose humorous fantasy is a genuine delight.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KLEIFIO/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00KLEIFIO&linkCode=as2&tag=rigscifrotheo-20&linkId=C4YQFDX4JCD2Z46N" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00KLEIFIO&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=rigscifrotheo-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rigscifrotheo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00KLEIFIO" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<b>Daniella Bova</b>, whose near-future dystopic science fiction features protagonists who are striking in their relatability.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009NYHYBW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B009NYHYBW&linkCode=as2&tag=rigscifrotheo-20&linkId=5E3WAHCXP5EYATCM" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B009NYHYBW&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=rigscifrotheo-20" /></a><br />
And lastly, <b>Karen Myers</b>, who's been writing a solid parallel-universe fantasy series set in my home state.<br />
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All of the authors listed above are authors I have personally read and recommended to others over the past few years. None of them are white, straight cis males.<br />
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*****</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Now what has prompted this ritual listing of names? That would be the bloviations of one <a href="http://monsterhunternation.com/2015/02/23/the-social-justice-warrior-racist-reading-challenge-a-fisking/" target="_blank">K. Tempest Bradford</a>, social justice warrior extraordinaire and special snowflake of the highest order:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://larrycorreia.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/finger-shaking-scold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://larrycorreia.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/finger-shaking-scold.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waving your finger at me like I'm five years old is a good way to guarantee seeing two of MINE.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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While I busted my butt to earn a hard science degree at an extremely competitive Virginia university (getting near perfect marks, I might add), Bradford studied basically whatever she damn well pleased like your typical privileged dilettante, bouncing from - get this - "performance" to writing to the history of mythology to "interstitial art" to the collective unconscious. Right around the time my rheumatoid arthritis was ramping up in severity and I was taking a series of crappy part time jobs to <b>earn</b> my keep, Bradford was flitting about the country living parasitically off her affluent friends. Honestly, when I read her proud admission that she got by on "confidence and charm," I immediately think "sociopath" -- but I'm not a professional therapist, so I don't really have the credentials to draw any firm conclusions.</div>
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At any rate, the miseducated Bradford has put out a clarion call for science fiction and fantasy fans to toss out books written by white, straight, cis male authors and stick to books written by gays, womyn, and "writers of color." <b>My</b> first response, of course, was to say a bad word -- but then I realized it would actually be <b>fun</b> to play by this creature's rules. After all, as I demonstrated above, I know plenty of authors who would qualify for the challenge -- but would also make Bradford's empty little head explode in a fireball of rage. Pull up a chair and pass the marshmallows. </div>
The Right Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649094767960738820noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4512901970142754617.post-27313838703492380382015-02-23T08:17:00.001-08:002015-02-23T08:46:03.902-08:00Indy Review - Codename: Winterborn, by Declan Finn & Allan Yoskowitz<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BMUBQ0K/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00BMUBQ0K&linkCode=as2&tag=rigscifrotheo-20&linkId=BXPHXITMBPXUI2L4" style="font-style: italic;">Codename: Winterborn</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rigscifrotheo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00BMUBQ0K" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> is a novel in two acts. The first is a paean to vigilante justice; the second, a dystopic thriller. The former narrative, I must admit, didn't really work for me; once the action shifts to San Francisco, however, the story settles down and becomes something both serviceable and interesting.<br />
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<i>Winterborn </i>is set at the end of the 21st century after an "accidental" nuclear conflict dubbed the "April Fool's War" has irradiated a third of the planet (including the western half of the US). The main character, Kevin Anderson, is an intelligence officer who, at the opening of the book, is sent to the Islamic Republic of France to track down a leftover nuclear arsenal and avoid a repeat conflict. While in France, Anderson is betrayed by a group of traitorous American politicians and is basically left for dead; in response, Anderson returns to the US and methodically plots his revenge.<br />
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The first half of the novel is, shall we say, a teensy bit over-the-top. Do I discount the possibility that a few schmucks in Washington would act against their own country's interest for the sake of personal gain? Hell no -- but the antagonists here are so craven - so EEEEEEEVIL with a capital E - that it unfortunately limits the plot's ability to reach audiences beyond those who are already convinced of the shadiness of our elite political class. Also: shoving pork into a Muslim assailant's mouth? That's laying the cheese on a bit thick.<br />
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As I suggested above, though, the authors dial things back substantially once Anderson is exiled to San Francisco -- which, in the wake of the April Fool's War, most of the world has written off as a loss. Here, the story becomes more human in scale as we see the discarded and abandoned try to survive and makes lives for themselves. Anderson himself becomes a more conflicted character, his violence more measured, and the people around him demonstrate the importance of maintaining a civil society that is <b>independent</b> of the government -- especially when the world has turned to Thunderdome around you.<br />
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<i>Winterborn</i>, ultimately, is a flawed but relatively entertaining work that should appeal to fans of conservative political thrillers. Depending on your tastes, you may want to take a look.<br />
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<b>Final Verdict: Basically Liked, But... Your Mileage May Vary</b>The Right Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649094767960738820noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4512901970142754617.post-87442784622851067832015-02-20T04:48:00.002-08:002015-02-20T08:35:19.467-08:00The Wet & Irritated Kittens Slate, Part I - NovelsI have been allied with the Sad Puppies since their first campaign -- and with that in mind, I definitely encourage you to check out - in other words, buy and <b>read</b> - what <a href="https://bradrtorgersen.wordpress.com/2015/02/01/sad-puppies-3-the-2015-hugo-slate/" target="_blank">they have recommended</a> for the 2015 Hugo shortlist.<br />
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At the same time, however, I'd also like to share some of my own recommendations over the next few weeks -- and since I'm a hair's breadth away from being a crazy cat lady in spirit, I shall dub my own personal list the "Wet & Irritated Kittens" slate.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media.catmoji.com/post/vz2c/angry-wet-cat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://media.catmoji.com/post/vz2c/angry-wet-cat.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He's read one too many crappy "award winners," and the claws are out.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
First up: the novels.<br />
<br />
<ul><li><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NMNR2HG/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00NMNR2HG&linkCode=as2&tag=rigscifrotheo-20&linkId=336JITWQLCAUYPGM">The Chaplain's War</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rigscifrotheo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00NMNR2HG" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i>, Brad Torgersen, Baen</b> - I know Brad has recused himself from the Sad Puppies campaign, but gosh darn it, I think he <b>deserves</b> a nod, as his first novel takes the tropes of military science fiction in a relatively <b>unique</b> direction. Not only does his protagonist have an unusual point-of-view, but the story itself is also less about the particulars of combat and more about the securing of an honorable <b>peace</b>. (See my original review <a href="http://rightfans.blogspot.com/2014/10/steph-reads-baened-books-brad.html" target="_blank">here</a>.)</li>
<li><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LUXNAYO/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00LUXNAYO&linkCode=as2&tag=rigscifrotheo-20&linkId=S3PYC64WHKRY4HOR">Trial by Fire</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rigscifrotheo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00LUXNAYO" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i>, Charles E. Gannon, Baen</b> - I'm overlapping with the Sad Puppies on this one for a damned good reason: this novel is <b>awesome</b>. It rivals such classics as <i>A Fire Upon the Deep</i> and <i>The Mote in God's Eye</i> in its alien world-building, and it depicts the divided nature of mankind in a striking and unforgettable way. (See my original review <a href="http://rightfans.blogspot.com/2014/09/steph-reads-baened-books-charles-e.html" target="_blank">here</a>.)</li>
<li><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00L17ZHNQ/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00L17ZHNQ&linkCode=as2&tag=rigscifrotheo-20&linkId=4E7KL6SDJ5WBS3FT">Monster Hunter Nemesis</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rigscifrotheo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00L17ZHNQ" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i>, Larry Correia, Baen</b> - Because who says pulp doesn't deserve respect? In all seriousness, anyone who claims that Larry only writes "dumb action novels" about "muscle-bound white guys" hasn't actually <b>read</b> his work. The way he messes around with common fantasy elements is absolutely delightful, and his characters are both entertaining and well-crafted. (See my original review <a href="http://rightfans.blogspot.com/2014/07/steph-reads-baened-books-larry-correias.html" target="_blank">here</a>.)</li>
<li><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FO6HV20/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00FO6HV20&linkCode=as2&tag=rigscifrotheo-20&linkId=3PTZ5CMZPA4EGZZK">A Darkling Sea</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rigscifrotheo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00FO6HV20" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i>, James L. Cambias, Tor</b> - Once again, I love me some aliens, and the deep-sea culture of the Ilmatarans is absolutely <b>fascinating</b>. Additionally, Cambias takes an old sci-fi philosophical stand-by - the Prime Directive - and intelligently challenges its assumptions vis-à-vis the likely results of intercultural contact. (See my original review <a href="http://rightfans.blogspot.com/2014/03/surfing-human-wave-james-l-cambias.html" target="_blank">here</a>.)</li>
<li><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00M0V35JU/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00M0V35JU&linkCode=as2&tag=rigscifrotheo-20&linkId=DZQTJPNTNYFP4LAC">The Wingfeather Saga</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rigscifrotheo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00M0V35JU" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i>, Andrew Peterson, Rabbit Room Press</b> - I'm using the famous <i>Wheel of Time</i> loophole on this one, as this was a juvenile fantasy series I profoundly enjoyed. Peterson's sense of humor is a real treat, and his created world is both imaginative and superversive. If you're a fan of the <i>Chronicles of Narnia</i>, definitely give these books a try! (See my review of the final novel - which links to reviews of the previous three - <a href="http://rightfans.blogspot.com/2014/07/middle-grade-young-adult-corner-andrew.html" target="_blank">here</a>.) </li>
</ul><br />
Coming up soon: the short works. In the meantime --<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.eve-tribune.com/6_5/angry_wet_cat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.eve-tribune.com/6_5/angry_wet_cat.jpg" height="400" width="379" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keep an eye on those kittens. They're pissed!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
The Right Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649094767960738820noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4512901970142754617.post-65853339678116115232015-02-19T09:53:00.000-08:002015-02-19T09:53:02.957-08:00Commentary: On the Most Recent Hugo ControversyOn many occasions, I have declared a fierce opposition to elitism. Mind you, this is not because I am a relativist or a small-d democrat. There <b>are</b> objective standards when it comes to judging art, theater, science fiction, or anything else, and I <b>don't</b> hold to the common viewpoint that "it's just your personal opinion." Jackson Pollock is not on a level with, say, Rembrandt or Monet; <i>Waiting for Godot</i> doesn't hold a candle to Shakespeare; and "If You Were a Dinosaur, My Love" is an embarrassment when set beside the stories of Ray Bradbury. Like John Adams and other conservative thinkers, I acknowledge and respect the existence of a natural aristoi. What I <b>don't</b> respect are the pseudo-intellectual phonies who in recent decades have arrogated to themselves the power of the cultural gatekeeper; the status the members of this clerisy enjoy is <b>utterly unearned.</b><div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In <a href="http://rightfans.blogspot.com/2015/02/guest-post-what-makes-good-science.html" target="_blank">last night's guest post</a>, Declan Finn declared that good science fiction depends on world building and characterization. I agree; nothing annoys me more than a supposed science fiction story that tacks on its fantastic element without bothering to integrate it into the whole -- or a science fiction story whose principal players are mere obeisances to fashion. I also agree with publisher Toni Weisskopf's <a href="https://otherwheregazette.wordpress.com/2015/02/18/a-declaration-of-purpose/" target="_blank">recent declaration</a> that one of science fiction's primary purposes is to encourage scientific and technological progress and expand the reader's imagination; without the "sensawunda," a science fiction story is a cold and lifeless thing. But I would add one other critical element: science fiction - like any other genre of literature - must <b>tell the truth </b>about the world and about human nature. We are fallen creatures who mistreat and make war upon each other -- but we also possess an enhanced consciousness that has led to remarkable cultural, technological, and <b>humanitarian</b> achievements. And what's true of our species as a whole is also undeniably true of Western civilization, the context in which science fiction originally took root.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In my opinion, <b>this</b> is what the science fiction lionized by the Worldcon in-crowd often gets so disastrously wrong. The aforementioned "If You Were a Dinosaur, My Love" presents a world in which men who frequent pool halls are prone to beat an educated paleontologist into a coma because they hate anything that is different. It's a world, quite frankly, that does <b>not</b> line up with the experiences of those of us who've actually lived in blue-collar neighborhoods and gone to sports bars. It's a world that strikes us as fundamentally <b>false</b>. My fellow Sad Puppies, quite understandably, emphasize entertainment and adventure, but at base, our complaint is anthropological, and if we're enthusiastic about spaceships and ray-guns, it's only because we sincerely believe such stories contain more that is <b>real</b> than stories like the above could possibly boast. If we demand, as Heinlein so eloquently expressed in <i>Glory Road</i>, the "hurtling moons of Barsoom" or "Excalibur held by a moon-white arm out of a silent lake," it is only because we are reacting instinctively to trends that have dishonestly pushed the negative, disdained the transcendental, and ignored man's eternal yen to explore.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And there are other things fandom's self-appointed elite fail to grasp. I'm thinking in particular of a certain Hugo Award-winning fan writer who recently implied - with a haughty sniff, no doubt - that the tens of thousands who attend Comic Con or Dragon Con don't read literary science fiction and therefore don't count. Let's see: Last year - a peak year for Worldcon - Loncon received roughly 3,500 Hugo ballots. Meanwhile, I know indy writers - who don't have access to a professional marketing apparatus - who've sold almost twice as many novels annually -- and I know Baen authors who've hit the best seller lists and have been able to quit their day jobs as a consequence. Additionally, the most recent numbers I could track down indicate that <i>Analog's</i> circulation hovers around <b>27,000</b>. Even if some of those copies are languishing on book store shelves, there is no way anyone can seriously claim that there are only 3,500 genuine literary science fiction fans <b>in the entire world</b>. If that were true, <i>Asimov's </i>and <i>Analog</i> would've collapsed long ago, and no publisher would risk touching science fiction with a thirty-foot pole.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So yes -- there <b>is </b>a significant pool of literary science fiction fans who aren't currently being heard at Worldcon. Now, I'm willing to grant that some of these fans don't particularly care about said lack of representation. Others, however, have watched Worldcon gradually descend into narrow-mindedness and have gafiated in disgust. Their choice? Sure, but the Hugo Awards - the <b>people's choice</b> awards - have been damaged - I hope not irreparably - by their absence. In recent years, I can recall several winning works that were genuinely deserving -- but I can recall many others that, to my mind, secured the rocketship merely by appealing to the parochial and bigoted tastes of the academic leftists who've seized the heights of fandom in the same way they've seized other major organs of our culture. And just so we're clear, I didn't hate such stories because they were leftist. For heaven's sake, I've been a <b>lifelong</b> fan of Star Trek, and Trek is certainly <b>not</b> a conservative "text." I hated such stories because they were leftist <b>and</b> failed to qualify as authentically human science fiction. For me, an entertaining story can cover a multitude of ideological sins -- but the social justice left in the fandom is so brazen now that it doesn't even concern itself with such essentials.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Nor does it bother to hide its illiberalism -- which is why I find it rich to see our opponents donning halos and insisting that fandom is one big happy family and everyone is welcome to participate. If you folks actually mean that, you may want to tell your compatriots to cool it with the harassment and <b>quit lying about us.</b> Larry Correia is not a violent, racist, homophobic monster; Brad Torgersen is not an aspiring fascist. They're just various flavors of conservative -- and if you can't engage with them in good faith, then don't stand around and act innocent when we complain about how politically homogeneous and intolerant fandom has become. </div>
The Right Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649094767960738820noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4512901970142754617.post-53567369769905110912015-02-18T23:30:00.000-08:002015-02-19T05:30:53.699-08:00Guest Post: What Makes Good Science Fiction, by Declan Finn<i>I don't share Declan's antipathy vis-à-vis Star Trek, but his insistence on world building and good characters is certainly on point.</i><br />
<br />
Good science fiction requires two things: good world building, and good characters.<br />
<br />
Obviously, all writing requires good characters, but in the world of SF, the world and the characters are interlinked. The world created by the writer is going to shape the characters as much as anything else.<br />
<br />
Let's look at why the original Star Trek worked, shall we? While the Federation wasn't as well <br />
developed as it would become, most of the places the Enterprise visited had fairly simply ideas behind it, but you could see how that worked. Even if it included Roman Imperial Nazis, or a world run on the model of the gangs of Chicago. They took simple ideas, made a world around them, and tossed in their semi-iconic characters, who are all perfectly likable, into the mix.<br />
<br />
Then you go into Babylon 5. It had a deep world in the background, and that's evidence from the <br />
various and sundry guide books for role playing games. It it depth, it had science that obeyed the actual laws of physics. It had politics – and none of this Utopian, one-world BS of the Federation. Star Trek was one big happy fleet, while B5 had opposing views and opinions, and hate groups and civil war, without the aliens fresh from Mordor. Even at Star Trek's deepest, they had, what, three episodes of DS9? The Maquis? Who, on Voyager, were assimilated by the Federation after one episode and half a season? Even the Klingons, at their worst, had a bought of internal strife that lasted for ... an episode? Three? B5 had a year and a half, if not three (depending on how you count it).<br />
<br />
The best science fiction has a whole range of culture and society, as well as spiffy technology. I believe it was Sarah Hoyt who pointed out to me that SF has two core tenets: either it's hard SF, or cultural SF (much of which is owned by SJWs). But what happens when you have someone like John Ringo or David Weber, or a Babylon 5, who cover science, history, technology, culture, economies, and how things get done not only from a technology aspect, but also a governmental aspect? Star Trek really never had a history behind it until later, and none that was ever really felt during the show, and made up as they went along, and we won't even go into whether or not they don't need money (as Troi once told Mark Twain) or if they operated on a system of small gold bars (DS9)<br />
<br />
Heck, when I wrote <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BMUBQ0K/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00BMUBQ0K&linkCode=as2&tag=rigscifrotheo-20&linkId=ELURXILN44VRVEZU">Codename: Winterborn</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rigscifrotheo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00BMUBQ0K" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />, I went through a lot of trouble trying to apply all of these lessons. A lot of it was so easy, I'm surprised more people don't do it more often.<br />
<br />
When my co-author, Allan, first mentioned his world to me, before I even signed on, he had a simple <br />
premise: the world had been nuked on 4-1-2090, with San Francisco cut off by miles of wasteland from the “real world.” From there, a lot of it was easy. I just asked questions. And what he didn't know, I reasoned.<br />
<br />
What's the economy? For San Francisco, locally, it's a barter system. However, since the larger corporations still have connections to the outside world, money is still good. Why would corporations be in San Francisco? Because there are now no limits on off-coast drilling. Duh!<br />
<br />
What's the history? Allan wanted Israel to take over the Middle East in the 2060s. From there, I created the Bethlehem Catholic Church ... because Rome was nuked when everyone started breaking out their own atomic toys. And since the Franciscans were long ago given places of worship to run in the Holy Land (this goes back to Saint Francis), Bethlehem sounded like a great place to move. Yup, the Catholic Church. We're like roaches. We WILL survive being nuked. You can't stop us, you can't kill us. We'll always come back in three days. MUAHAHAHAHAAHA....<br />
<br />
Anyway...<br />
<br />
Also, when I did the math on anti-ballistic missile systems (which are already up and running, by the by), I figured that Allan's United States would only be partially nuked. But that would certainly take a good chunk out of congress.<br />
<br />
The nuclear war led Allan to create San Francisco, but I figured “So, there's a real world out there, right? And the real world has satellites, right? Well then, that means the rest of the world knows. World governments know, if nothing else. This makes San Francisco a great place for dropping off the inconvenient of their population. Why kill them when you can just be rid of them?” This created Exiles. When I suggested making a spy to be dumped there, Allan said “I'll call him Mister Anderson, like The Matrix.” He became Kevin Anderson.<br />
<br />
But what horrible, horrible sin could Kevin commit to send him to a little backwater hell? Something to do with a mission. Do I know any places that'll be the enemy in 2093, since the Middle East will be run by an ally?<br />
<br />
Oh, wait! I know where all the remaining Islamofascists will be! Europe! Let's make it France! (Whose birthrate in 2003 was less than half that of the fringe elements who tended towards radical Islam, meaning that by 2050, France might just be the Islamic Republic of France). You can see how the progression goes from there. After a while, and after enough time, the world writes itself. But in order to get there, a writer has to bring something to the table. A worldview, a knowledge of how the world works (either theirs or the real world), and it proceeds from there.<br />
<br />
Good science fiction has depth, of both world and of character. The world building can be cultural, technological, or both, but there's got to be something there that warrants it being a tale of science fiction. But most of all, the characters must carry it. If it doesn't, then the writing just sucks. I'm not going to read books about technology. I never even read the Star Trek technical manual.The Right Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649094767960738820noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4512901970142754617.post-54255904065078988172015-01-05T23:30:00.000-08:002015-01-07T19:48:10.579-08:00Guest Post: How B5 & JMS Changed My Life, by Declan Finn<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>I have sentiments similar to those expressed by Declan below -- although in my case, JMS's major impact was less on my writing style and more on my reading and viewing preferences. I am a bit older than Declan (apparently), but I was still an adolescent when B5 aired for the first time and consequently imprinted quite strongly on that particular style of science fiction. To this day, I still look for epic narratives in which the main characters seek to serve some cause above themselves. </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After talking once about Babylon 5, I feel this strong urge
to discuss about the creator, J. Michael Straczynski, influenced me an my own
work. Odd, since he has always been an
avowed atheist, and I have always been a Catholic. JMS has also, in recent years, come out as a
bit of a liberal, yet Babylon 5 helped shape my politics and my writing. He wrote military sci-fi in which people stood up to an Orwellian despot and were willing to die for what they believed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When B5 first went on the air, I was 10. By the time it was
over, I was 16 and reading everything JMS had posted on writing. Then I started using JMS on writing to
create B5 fan fiction. There were aspects of this rich, vivid world I wanted to
explore, and the only place I could explore them was on paper. I pondered what
religious orders there might have been, and I created the Holy Order of St.
Patrick, a missionary order created by Father Patrick Itzak Patel … The members
of the HOP were called “hoppies” by the public or “a real PIP” by members
within the order. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had come up with how the order had been founded, but that
was generally background material. The HOP had been founded by a priest who had
once been sent to the People's Republic of China and was captured, tortured,
and escaped. He planned to come back and convert the people who had enslaved
him, just like St. Patrick had when he had been kidnapped by the Celts.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The real work of the novels was my character Sean Patrick
Ryan (He had originally been John Ryan, but I realized that the name belong to
a Tom Clancy character). He was two meters tall and one wide, with an Irish cop
gene, a high telepath rating, and a decided attitude problem.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And so many storylines grew out of small, offhand lines. The enemy from the B5 pilot became a “Minbari
mafia” and a whole book unto itself. Sean Ryan was introduced taking down a
local B5 mobster named N'Grath – basically an evil preying mantis that was
7-feet tall. And we don't even <i>discuss </i>the terrorist takeover of
Disneyplanet (written before the takeover of EuroDisney in Tom Clancy's novel <i>Rainbow
6.</i> How's that for timing?).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It turned into a four thousand page novel that I'm still
trying to disentangle from Babylon 5.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After that, I was hooked on writing. Characters wouldn't
leave me alone. I suddenly had voices in my head (being a writer: legal
schizoprenia.) And now the books that
have been rewritten OUT of the Babylon 5 universe are even longer, with short episodes
in the books now becoming books of their own.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That's not the odd part. The fallout is the odd part.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In my novel <a href="file:///C:/Users/user/Downloads/%20http:/tinyurl.com/m69tt8y"><i>Codename:
Winterborn</i></a>, my coauthor and I have a strange dystopia variant in the
city of San Francisco. Basically, WW3
was a short affair, and missile shields in conservative states kept the Eastern
half of the country alive, while some were killed by general fallout. San
Francisco survived, but the general population of the planet thinks it's dead.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
However, governments know that San Francisco is still
there. I thought, “Gee, wouldn't that
include the Vatican? And wouldn't they send SOMEBODY over to San Francisco?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And suddenly, I had priest who was an ex-cop with a missionary
order, trained to act in hostile territory, covertly preaching with hostage
negotiation skills, nonlethal hand-to-hand combat skills, and “how to
covert the newly disarmed” skills.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was the Holy Order of St. Patrick, and their leader was
Father Patrick Itzak Patel – just called him “Fr. Jack.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, yeah, that happened.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I first created <i>It Was Only on Stun! </i>(a murder
mystery at a science fiction convention) I had to have a civilian on
security. I needed someone who was bat
guano insane and didn't mind putting himself in harm's way. I couldn't start the book until I named him.
It didn't come together until he became Sean Aloysius Patricus Ryan. And he became 5'6” tall and became his own
person.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Even my magnum opus, the Pius Trilogy, a thriller series
meant to dismantle Dan Brown and “Hitler's Pope” supporters, was influenced by
JMS and B5. How? Well, <a href="file:///C:/Users/user/Downloads/%20http:/tinyurl.com/co5b7ry">it
started with a dead academic researching Pope Pius XII</a>. His assassin was
then blown up, and landed on the car of the head of papal security – Giovanni
Figlia. Giovanni had been escorting a Secret Service agent who was auditing
Vatican security (<a href="http://www.examiner.com/article/pope-francis-to-swiss-guard-you-re-fired">written
before Pope Francis declared his war on the Swiss Guard</a>), and was
coordinating with a visiting dignitary who was to set up the Pope's security in
his country.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The three of them fall into the case, but something was
missing. My Pope Pius XIII was a man who
had enemies, and wanted security <a href="http://the-american-journal.com/pope-guard-youre-fired/">to protect the
people around him</a> (Suicide Bomb + St. Peter's square = dead tourists). That's <i>why </i>the Secret Service was
there.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As the Secret Service agent is being shown around, Giovanni
shows her another security consultant. Sean AP Ryan.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I would then apply almost everything JMS and B5 ever taught
me into action. I would <a href="http://ow.ly/w6db6">kill off major characters</a>. I had no problems
making them suffer if it served the story – let's just say that when I torture
one major player, it owed a lot to the B5 episodes <i>Comes the Inquisitor</i>,
<i>A Sky Full of Stars</i>, and <i>Intersections in Real time</i>. Even the ending was much like Babylon 5 – <a href="http://tinyurl.com/n8rpmdg">it ended </a><a href="http://tinyurl.com/n8rpmdg">in fire</a>. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Not to mention a lot of my speeches sound like they were
written by John Sheridan.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At the end of the day, almost my entire writing career has
been echoes of the first spark lit by JMS.
I've written 15 books by now (maybe 20), but they all come back, in some
way, to Babylon 5. The themes of the
show constantly run through my own writing: standing up against tyranny in any
form, being willing to die for what you believe, being willing to put your main
characters through Hell and back, and be sure to include consequences for every action.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Straczynski gave me the gift of writing. It's a gift I can't repay.</span>The Right Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649094767960738820noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4512901970142754617.post-42011478339630117832014-12-17T23:30:00.000-08:002014-12-18T10:31:28.338-08:00Guest Post: The Baptism of Contemporary Science Fiction, by Declan Finn<div class="WW-Default">
<i style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;"><b>Stephanie remarks: </b>For many years, I've wanted to write an extended essay on the Catholic-friendly philosophical and spiritual undertones of </i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;">Babylon 5</span><i style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;">, so when Declan sent this to me, I squealed like a little girl. One day, when I have more time, I will write an extended addendum; for now, please enjoy Declan's contribution!</i></div>
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While I have been both a cradle Catholic and a cradle geek, I can honestly say that the two rarely intersected for a good chunk of my life. Most of the time, my thoughts on faith and science fiction consisted of wondering why the starship<i> Enterprise</i> was a naval vessel without a chaplain. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Then the year was 1993, and the name of the show was <i>Babylon 5</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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While never as big a hit as <i>Star Trek</i>, <i>Babylon 5</i> – or simple B5, as fans call it – was one of the few science fiction shows that fought and won against the <i>Star Trek </i>franchise without being run over by the monolith.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But one thing that made it special was religion.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Originally, <i>Babylon 5</i> had been easily dismissed as a <i>Star Trek: Deep Space 9</i> ripoff, even though the creator, Joseph Michael Straczynski (best known as simply JMS) had pitched Babylon 5 to paramount the year before <i>Deep Space 9</i>. Even my family were a little wary of it at first. It was fun, but nothing particularly special.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Then came the episode <i>By Any Means Necessary</i>. A subplot revolved around an alien ambassador trying to obtain an artifact necessary for his religious ritual. The ritual involved burning a plant in the sunlight that touched a particular mountain on a particular day. Since they're in space, the ambassador had to acquire the plant, and lead the ceremony at the same time as his people back home. When the station Commander finds a way to get the required plant, it was too late, the time had past. Until science fiction and faith collided. As the commander says:</div>
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What you forgot to take into account, is that sunlight also travels through space....The sunlight that touched the …. mountain 10 of your years ago, will reach this station in 12 hours …. But it's still the same sunlight. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The ambassador agrees, and comments, “Commander, you're a far more spiritual man than I give you credit for.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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The commander answers, “There are a couple of Jesuit teachers I know who might disagree with you.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Welcome to <i>Babylon 5</i>, with the first openly Catholic commander in science fiction. My family was hooked.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Later on, in Season 2, there were two strong episodes that hit home. The first was called <i>Comes the Inquisitor</i>. The plot was simple: our heroes are in a war with an ancient enemy that make Sauron in <i>Lord of the Rings</i> look nice, and an alien ally known as the Vorlons want to make certain that one of our heroes, named Delenn, is in it for the right reasons. What are the wrong reasons? To be a hero! To be adulated! To be the leader of a holy crusade!</div>
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The theme of the episode was actually summarized by the T.S. Eliot poem “Murder in the Cathedral.” If you don't know the context, “Murder in the Cathedral” was about the last days of Thomas Beckett, and his final temptation is actually a suggestion that Beckett should embrace the glory or martyrdom. <o:p></o:p></div>
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To which Eliot has Becket reply:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>The last temptation is the greatest treason:<span style="color: #252525;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #252525; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">To do the right deed for the wrong reason.</span></i><i> </i><o:p></o:p></div>
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A line from the actual episode is: “If you do the right thing for the wrong reasons, the work becomes corrupted, impure, and ultimately self-destructive.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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The antagonist for <i>Comes the Inquisitor</i>, named only “Sebastian” is only satisfied with Delenn when the Captain, Sheridan, comes charging in to the rescue, and is himself captured. When Sebastian threatens to kill Delenn if she tries to save Sheridan, she dismisses his threat, saying that to save one life or a billion, it doesn't matter. If that doesn't have overtones of “He who saves one man saves the whole world,” I don't know what does.</div>
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Delenn going toe-to-toe with Sebastian really does look like it will end badly for her. However, Sebastian declares that they have passed his test.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>How do you know the chosen ones? No greater love hath a man than he lay down his life for his brother. Not for millions, not for glory, not for fame. For one person, in the dark...where no one will ever know...or see.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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Yes. The punchline was John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Soon after, in the season two finale, <i>The Fall of Night</i> the Vorlons enter into the picture again. For <i>The Fall of Night</i>, we see what they look like outside of their environmental suits – angels. They even look like different angels to different aliens. It's revealed that Vorlons modified all aliens in order to make them see Vorlons as beings of light that correspond to <i>their </i>religions. The nice thing about this is that there are no implications that the Vorlons <i>invented</i> religion, but mimicked religions already in place. It's a nice change of pace for science fiction, where the trend is to say that an advanced race created God.</div>
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The final bits that made <i>Babylon 5</i> hit home with my faith came in season three. A group of religious pilgrims arrive on the station. They're Dominicans. Yes, the Order of Preachers arrived on the station.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Okay, JMS insists they're Benedictines.. But their outfits are Dominican, which might be a costume error. Why are they on the station? Their leader, Brother Theo, explains:</div>
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<i>To learn, and to teach. It says in the Bible that even the smallest sparrow does not fall, without God seeing it. What then of all these other races from distant worlds? Would he abandon them … or reveal himself in some other way? God goes by many names. Perhaps some are alien sounding, different faces and histories, but all describing the same Creator We are here to learn all those names, in hopes of better understanding the one who is behind them.... </i><o:p></o:p></div>
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When Theo says that he brought experts that are in much demand on earth, the station commander asks that, if they're in such demand, why are they on B5? “They also <i>believe</i>.”</div>
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Over time, Babylon 5 explored a lot of themes that, if not blatantly Catholic, were at least Judeo-Christian. There were themes of sin and redemption all over the place, though there were parts of it that were secular humanist in nature, and sometimes even straight up Judaic. Let's just say that several characters would have been helped had they simply had a confessor to go to.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Then there's <i>Passing Through Gethsemane</i>. In the world of B5, the death penalty has been largely replaced with “mindwiping,” and reprogramming a person to serve the community he harmed.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Enter an ethical dilemma where a serial killer has been mindwiped, and now serving in Br. Theo's group. When the families of his victims come for him, revealing who is was, he goes crazy, pondering how he can be forgiven when he doesn't even remember his sins. The answer to most of us is simple: in confession, we ask forgiveness for these and <i>all our sins</i>. But he was clearly going crazy at the time, so we'll forgive the character that slip.</div>
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By the end, one man kills the former murderer, and is himself mindwiped, and sent to join Br. Theo and company as “Brother Malcom.” When he tries to shake Sheridan's hand, Sheridan looks at him like a snake. Theo, however, explains:</div>
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You must forgive the captain, Malcolm. You interrupted his train of thought. I believe he was saying that forgiveness is a hard thing, but something every to be strived for....<o:p></o:p></div>
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At the end of the day, JMS describes himself as an atheist, that he was “born Catholic but it wore off.” Despite this, JMS may have written one of the most Catholic science fiction shows of this generation. He allowed religion into a genre that traditionally wouldn't touch faith with a ten-foot pole, or would blatantly reject it. It was nice to, at long last, find a piece of science fiction that would honestly practice the tolerance it preached, and would let this nerd carry his cross for the ride.</div>
The Right Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649094767960738820noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4512901970142754617.post-58911057360073833492014-12-15T09:39:00.000-08:002014-12-15T09:39:29.763-08:00Guest Post: Reinhardt Remembrances, by David Dubrow<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>Context: David wanted to share some thoughts about Hank Reinhardt, Toni Weisskopf's late husband. Since we're all Baen fans here, I thought his comments fit the general theme and tone of this blog.</i><br />
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I was lucky enough to have worked with <a href="http://www.hankreinhardt.com/">Hank Reinhardt</a> on two instructional video productions: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Myth-Sword-Hank-Reinhardt/dp/B000TGSQGU"><i>The Myth of the Sword</i></a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Viking-Sword-How-Real-Combat/dp/B00GDKY2XM"><i>Viking Sword</i></a>. Hank was a great man, a scholar of the blade who practiced what he researched to determine what worked from what didn’t. While our short association doesn’t permit me to call him a friend, I will say that I am greatly honored to have spent time with him, to have been a guest in his house, to have talked with him about his life and work and family. We shot <i>The Myth of the Sword</i> in 1999 and <i>Viking Sword</i> in 2000 at his house in Georgia.<o:p></o:p></div>
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A few months before the <i>Myth of the Sword</i> shoot, I went with my wife to visit her parents, who happened to live in Atlanta at the time. My employer suggested that I make it something of a business trip, so I visited Hank at his office at Museum Replicas, the business he’d founded. I remember that his office was pleasantly cluttered, with sharp things and cans of Dr. Pepper everywhere. We chatted about things in general and what we planned to do on the shoot. On the way out, I went to the storefront and purchased a Hunga Munga for my boss. The nature of my employment was such that this was not unusual.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The video crew was small: me and my boss. We did everything: set design, lighting, sound, cameras, the works. To make things easier, on the <i>Myth of the Sword</i> shoot, Hank suggested we stay at his house. One of the things he said about that was, “You’ll find that there are swords in every room of the house except for the guest rooms. Why would I want to arm a guest?” I can still hear it echoing in memory, and it always makes me smile. <o:p></o:p></div>
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For the <i>Myth of the Sword</i> shoot, two of Hank’s friends from Canada came in to help with some of the historical reenactments. One was a man named Peter Fuller, and the other was a man named Kelly. <a href="http://www.medievalrepro.com/">Peter Fuller</a>, if you haven’t heard of him, is one of the greatest reproduction armorers in the world. I worked with him on two videos: one on making a medieval great helm, and the other on making hourglass gauntlets. Over the course of time, Peter and I became friends. He’s incredibly skilled, humble, and ethical, and was a great friend of Hank’s. Kelly was a good guy, too, just for the record. <o:p></o:p></div>
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One of the things we did on both shoots was test swords on various materials. Due to Hank’s association with Museum Replicas, we had plenty of cardboard shipping tubes available, so he slashed some of those into chunks. With a two-handed sword called a <i>grossemesser</i> he chopped a phone book in half. The most interesting experiments were when we put a gambeson and mail onto a pork shoulder and cut that to show what a sword could do against armor. One valuable lesson we learned was that if you’re going to put on mail, make sure you have something on underneath it: a gambeson, a shirt, something. Because if you don’t and you take a good chop to the armor, whoever fixes you up (if you survive) is going to have a hell of a time pulling links of mail out of your flesh later. <o:p></o:p></div>
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On the <i>Viking Sword</i> shoot, we had a number of Hank’s friends show up to help, all of them local. At least one of them was an armorer from Museum Replicas. They were a great group of people, and after the longest day of shooting, they set up a dinner party. I chatted with a number of really interesting folks, including Toni Weisskopf Reinhardt, Hank’s wife. At the time, I only knew Baen because they’d picked up the <i>Wild Cards</i> series and published three new books, so I got to talk to her about that.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’ve worked with many fascinating people during my time in publishing, but none made quite the impression on me that Hank did. I wish I had known him better. <o:p></o:p></div>
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David Dubrow is a writer who lives in Florida. His first novel is titled <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ITU5Z7G"><i>The Blessed Man and the Witch</i></a>. You can read more about him <a href="http://davedauthor.blogspot.com/">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
The Right Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649094767960738820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4512901970142754617.post-77352073304727362942014-12-10T23:30:00.000-08:002014-12-11T07:58:02.362-08:00Guest Post: GamerGate, by Declan FinnThe other day, we discussed SJWs, Social Justice Warriors, and why they're various and sundry types of lying pond scum. Mostly because they are. And while I would like to seek revenge for all the harm they've done to normal people, we don't have to resort to any such tactics, because, well, they're going to do it to themselves in the long run.<br />
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Also discussed the other day was one Anita Sarkissian, lying sociopath. She's part of the larger whole that is GamerGate? It started with one Madam Zoe Quinn, a female video game developer in a world that generally lacks female developers. During her declared monogamous relationship with her boyfriend Quinn, she cheated on him.<br />
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Do we care? Not one whit. So why does it matter? Because Quinn, this bastion of womanhood, this secular saint among women … slept with her married boss, as well as video game reviewers. What was that I heard about feminism? Is this thing on?<br />
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So yeah, it's not about Quinn. It's about how video games – and mostly gamer journalism – is corrupt. Sleeping with reviewers? Journalistic ethics? Anyone?<br />
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Quinn and her company released a minor game that hasn't gotten many reviews.<br />
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However, the SJWs protect their own. What happens when the story doesn't serve the ends of an SJW? If you answered “Change the story,” you can pat yourself on the back.<br />
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How is this possible, you ask? Because gaming journalists have been using a mailing list to coordinate on how to shape the news on the Quinn scandal – making it less about the corruption in their industry, and all about the gamer. Their customer.<br />
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Yup. I note that the “jerks” here are the gamers. Not the ones who gave good reviews in exchange for “favors.” Not Quinn’s married employer. Not even Quinn. Quinn is a delicate flower who must be protected, not a sociopathic liar and manipulator.<br />
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It gets better. Here are some other choice quotes from the gaming industry:<br />
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<li>Gamers are “socially awkward weirdos who dress like garbage”. (Devin Faraci, <i>Badassdigest</i>)</li>
<li>“These obtuse s***slingers, these wailing hyper-consumers, these childish internet-arguers — they are not my audience.” (Leigh Alexander, <i>Gamasutra</i>)</li>
<li>Regarding the scandal, gamers represented the side who “folded its arms, slumped its shoulders while pouting like an obstinate child”. (Chris Plante, Editor-at-Large, <i>Polygon</i>)</li>
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Yup. Zoe Quinn is a good little SJW. “All” of the critics were single white male losers (and we can ignore all of those who are plainly not white or male). Let’s also ignore that Quinn has actively gone after other women who want to get into the gaming industry. Quinn might find it difficult to be special if she was one of dozens.<br />
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The story is misogyny. That's it. And if you disagree, make sure you're behind bulletproof glass.<br />
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Enter standard censorship. Anyone with an opinion was no longer allowed to have one on comment threads. Gamers couldn’t even comment on the silence from news outlets. Forget gaming journalists, now gamers were told to sit down and shut up.<br />
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This is an unholy mess, and the gaming journalists conspiring to manipulate the media coverage of GamerGate to distract from their own corruption? That’s just icing on the cake. It’s hard to imagine any other industry that would deliberately twist the story to paint their own consumers as the villains.<br />
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No matter what anyone says, GamerGate is about media corruption, and the lengths journalists will go to in order to cover their asses. The gamer media have declared war on the casual gamer, the serious gamer, and anyone who isn’t out and out “One of Us,” on the their side of the spectrum.<br />
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But just remember, they're SJWs, and they care.<br />
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Yes. Caring kills.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/45H25Sc6fig" width="560"></iframe><br />The Right Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649094767960738820noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4512901970142754617.post-40867986539549593632014-12-08T23:30:00.000-08:002014-12-09T07:59:19.069-08:00Guest Post: The Social Justice Warrior, by Declan FinnDo not change your channel. We are in control. We control the justification. We control the font...<br />
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Anyway, now that that's out of the way, I should introduce myself. I am Declan Finn, author of the novel <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BMUBQ0K/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00BMUBQ0K&linkCode=as2&tag=rigscifrotheo-20&linkId=GVA3B4BKFGYLPYI3"><i>Codename: Winterborn</i></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rigscifrotheo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00BMUBQ0K" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />, and a few other books that are in the wrong genre. Stephanie will return eventually, after she chews through the restraints in the closet (don't worry, I left air holes). So, what shall we talk about today?<br />
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Well, let's perform a study of an SJW, a Social Justice Warrior. A rare, but vicious breed, the SJW knows all, sees all, and is quite happy to tell you what's wrong with you, what you like, what you think, and all of your bad habits. The Corps is mother, the Corps is father … oh, wait, never mind.<br />
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It's why a bunch of Staten Island cops piled onto a New Yorker for selling loose cigarettes: Cigarettes are bad for you, after all. Didn't you know that? Don't worry, the SJW knew all about it, and they're happy to set you straight. If they happen to kill you along the way, well, omelets, eggs, you know how that works.<br />
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That's a real-life example of an SJW, you ask? Let's take someone we in the video game industry all know well – one Anita Sarkeesian. If you've not heard of this creature from the black lagoon, she's the one who insists that video games demean women, are cruel, vicious, and just plain mean about it. If you happen to disagree with her, you're a misogynist. If you're a woman and disagree with her, you're a brainwashed woman who needs to be reeducated by Anita. Don't worry, I hear they'll have camps for that sort of reeducation soon enough.<br />
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What's that? I'm being harsh with Anita? Well, she and her ilk have accused gamers like me of putting threats on her life. Nevermind that the FBI have dismissed these threats after a thorough investigation, she's quite happy to say her life is under threat. After all, if people want to kill her, that means she's right. See how that works?<br />
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A particularly fun bit of business is when Sarkeesian labels particular video games as sexist. Usually, in order to do this, she cherry picks at will. Like ….<br />
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A <i>Metal Gear Solid</i> game, where the hero saves himself!<br />
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… Except that the same video game has a heroine fighting her way past guards, while the guy fakes being ill.<br />
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Or how about <i>Hitman: Absolution</i>, where there's a strip club! With strippers! That you murder!<br />
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… Except that to even run into said strippers is to use one of three routes through said club. And the game penalizes you for being seen by them, or harming them.<br />
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Then there's <i>Watch Dogs</i>, where the game shows you topless women!<br />
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… Except that it's a sex slave ring that our hero is going to break up. And why should the game soften the horrors of this sort of thing?<br />
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But Anita is an SJW! She knows what's best for you. She cares. She says the right things to the right people, and she's a secular saint. Understand? If you know what's good for you, you'll smile, nod, or the SJWs will care for you until you can't breathe.<br />
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The nice thing about the SJW is that they don't breed very often. Well, they breed quite a bit, actually, but thankfully, they never spawn. They an an endangered species, and the only way they can germinate their beliefs is to inject it into other people. Unless something radically changes, Anita Sarkeesian will never spawn, because motherhood is demeaning, don't you know? It oppresses women. The SJWs tell us so.<br />
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Thankfully, normal people like us – graded for values of normal – don't have to go to any extreme to fight off this menace. They are a self-defeating group whose very ideas spell their doom.<br />
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<i><b>Stephanie speaks from the closet:</b> If only I could be so optimistic. The problem with these SJWs is that they still have most of the organs of culture on their side. Anita learned her mendacious feminist analysis from professors in our universities, and she's backed whole-heartedly by our media. Until we retake those leftist strongholds, there's always a chance our children will be led to the dark side (which, unfortunately, does <b>not</b> have cookies -- or fun either).</i>The Right Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649094767960738820noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4512901970142754617.post-38375836483567561462014-11-03T08:04:00.000-08:002014-11-03T08:04:58.029-08:00Surfing the Human Wave: Kal Spriggs' Echo of the High Kings When Matt, my co-author, stepped in to <a href="http://rightfans.blogspot.com/2014/10/indy-review-tears-of-paradox-daniella.html" target="_blank">review</a> Daniella Bova's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KLEIFIO/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00KLEIFIO&linkCode=as2&tag=rigscifrotheo-20&linkId=ARE5A7WSXV3BIFWP"><i>Tears Of Paradox</i></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rigscifrotheo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00KLEIFIO" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />, he made a very important observation: Indy publishing - aided by the eeeeeevil, "literature-destroying" Amazon - <b>is</b> a remarkably vibrant "proving ground" for aspiring authors. I have had the privilege to read quite a few Amazon-published novels and have consequently discovered many talented writers who, for various reasons, may have been unfairly ignored by legacy publishers who, to maintain their brands, accept a very narrow range of works. Kal Spriggs' <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00M9Q6VL0/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00M9Q6VL0&linkCode=as2&tag=rigscifrotheo-20&linkId=6NDJYILXXI6QIJ5H">Echo of the High Kings</a> </i>is one illustrative example. Like Bova's book, <i>Echo</i> is somewhat unpolished -- but like Bova's book, <i>Echo</i> reveals its author's raw talent when it comes to crafting complex characters and complex worlds.<br />
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It took me a while to finish reading <i>Echo</i>. Now don't get me wrong: This is not because the book is awful and/or tedious. Still, this novel <b>is</b> long, covers <b>a lot</b> of ground, and contains a wealth of complicated <b>scene-setting</b>.<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rigscifrotheo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00M9Q6VL0" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> Spriggs has tasked himself with juggling a "mega-ensemble," and at times, this leads him down alley ways that, while interesting, don't (yet) feel important to the central plot. Indeed, until the back third of the book, there were moments when I wasn't quite sure where Spriggs was actually going with his cast -- moments when I had no sense of the ultimate goal. Moreover, by the end of the novel, nothing was actually <b>resolved</b>, which may frustrate those readers who expect books to stand on their own. Granted, this novel is intended to be the first of a series -- but even within a series, individual books should satisfy at least <b>some</b> of the reader's desire for an "end".<br />
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On the upside, the multiple threads and side stories <b>do</b> reveal the thoughtfulness of Spriggs' <b>world-building</b>. You can really <b>feel</b> that Eoriel is a world steeped in history -- a colony world on which many different cultures and kingdoms have left their marks, building societies on each other's ruins. After finishing the novel, I definitely <b>do</b> want to learn more about Eoriel's past and how it has shaped Eoriel's disorganized and fascinating present.<br />
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Another thing that becomes apparent as you read <i>Echo</i> is Spriggs' ability to create complex, multi-layered characters. Hector, for example, is one of Spriggs' principal "villains" - a man who has made deals with objectively awful people to further his own ends - but even he has comprehensible motives for his actions. Indeed, said character is strongly reminiscent of other characters I've adored who've allowed their single-minded focus on protecting their nations to cloud their moral judgments. And I get the sense that Hector's arc could be going in a direction we may not expect -- that he may still retain some small spark of heroism that will become apparent as the plot of this saga continues to unfold.<br />
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On the whole, <i>Echo</i> is a book that could use some firm editing to tighten the plot -- but it is still very much worth a read. As an epic fantasy writer, Spriggs has a great deal of potential, and I'm eager to see where he takes the Eoriel Saga in future books.<br />
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<b>Final Verdict: Recommended</b> The Right Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649094767960738820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4512901970142754617.post-31267655984776295302014-10-31T18:36:00.000-07:002014-10-31T18:37:19.953-07:00Surfing the Human Wave: Robert A. Hoyt's Cat's PawUnbeknownst to all but a privileged few, the end of the world is drawing near. A royal family has been charged with protecting our fragile status quo, but many among their number have fallen prey to a sinister cult that is eager to see the earth remade in its preferred image. Should a drunk old cynic really get himself mixed up in such an apocalyptic struggle? Of course not -- but destiny makes his choice for him when he saves the life of a lovely lady and finds himself duty-bound to protect her as she sets off on a quest to defeat the aforementioned cult and save the world.<br />
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The basic outline of this story sounds pretty familiar, right? But allow me to add just one more important detail: the protagonists and the principal villains are <b>cats</b>. Thus we have discovered the premise of Robert Hoyt's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MH6EQRS/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00MH6EQRS&linkCode=as2&tag=rigscifrotheo-20&linkId=DE7PZFPRSOOOPDA4"><i>Cat's Paw</i></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rigscifrotheo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00MH6EQRS" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />.<br />
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For me, this novel was something of a shock. I was anticipating something "crackier" -- something, perhaps, that poked fun at standard cat behaviors. But the characters in <i>Cat's Paw</i> didn't strike me as especially "cat-like" despite their surface descriptions. I didn't see the indoor cat complain about needing a nap, for example -- and no one randomly flopped down in an "ideal" patch of sunlight.<br />
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To be fair, though, my expectations were definitely colored by my experiences with my own fuzzy friend, who is probably the most spoiled and lazy cat on the planet -- and once I set aside said expectations, I was wholly able to just sit back and enjoy the story. The quest plot, again, is a relatively well-worn idea, but Robert gives it a clever spin by "peopling" his universe with cats of all types and breeds, psychotic squirrels, mountain-destroying birds, and -- I think you get the picture. I also liked the character development we see in the male and female leads. The pregnant indoor cat turns out to have more layers than her initial presentation as a ditz might suggest -- and the alcoholic tom's evolution from jaded loner to genuine hero was pleasant to read and certainly deserving of the Human Wave label (even if, technically, the character in question isn't a human being).<br />
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The amazing thing? Robert wrote this when he was <b>thirteen</b>. I teach adolescents for a living, and I have yet to encounter a student of that age who is capable of this kind of sustained and <b>adult</b> storytelling. Hell: While I was frequently singled out for the high quality of my own writing at thirteen, that attention was all for my <b>non</b>-fiction; my fiction, meanwhile, tended toward the "Mary Sue" self-insert. To put it another way: Robert clearly had some scary, bad-ass talent, and I'm a teensy bit jealous!<br />
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So -- if you're looking for something light and fun to read, I recommend giving <i>Cat's Paw</i> a try. Who knows? It might surprise you too! <br />
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<b>Final Verdict: Recommended.</b>The Right Geekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09649094767960738820noreply@blogger.com0