Lightspeed Magazine, July 2011 - Fiction Recap

I enjoyed every story presented in this issue.  My heart lies in hard science fiction which is well represented here.

I am a big fan of humans; I like stories that involve people; I prefer it when the future is the setting and humans are involved in the drama or conflict.  With aliens, often too much word count is wasted on describing how strange or icky the creatures are, rather than pursuing a story.  I was happy that Face Value did not fall into that trap and we were given a compelling story, involving aliens, but focused on the two humans in it.

I purchased the issue primarily for The Cold Equations and the re-imagined The Old Equations.  I must say; The Cold Equations has lost nothing of its ability to grip the reader since it was first published in 1954.

Below are links to my thoughts on each story in the issue.

The Cold Equations -
 http://eric-the-mailman.blogspot.ca/2015/01/the-cold-equations-by-tom-godwin.html

The Old Equations -
http://eric-the-mailman.blogspot.ca/2015/02/the-old-equations-by-jake-kerr.html

Sweet Sixteen -
http://eric-the-mailman.blogspot.ca/2015/02/sweet-sixteen-by-kat-howard.html

Face Value -
http://eric-the-mailman.blogspot.ca/2015/02/face-value-by-karen-joy-fowler.html

Star Trek: The Original Series: Seasons of Light and Darkness by Michael A. Martin

6/100

This is a very good Leonard McCoy "origin" story.

I'm using quotes since the novella explores McCoy's first mission as a member of starfleet, not so much his complete back story.  Here we find him trying to put some distance between himself and a difficult period in his life.  He is accepted into starfleet medical and immediately sent to Capella IV for an extended medical/diplomatic mission.

In the TV series and movies McCoy has a very strong belief in what is right and wrong and his own roll on the Enterprise.  If I want to be flip about it; this is the story that explains his saying, "Dammit Jim!  I'm a doctor not a ..."  But I don't want to trivialize this, McCoy came to this saying in a deeply difficult way.  If anything, reading this story will make that line less of a joke and give it a deeper meaning.

Yup.  I liked this one a lot.

Read it.

The opening scene of the book.

Michael A. Martin

The Veldt by Ray Bradbury

5/100

First published in 1950 this story still resonates today.

At first it's a cautionary tale of technology but then it also touches on how parenting is still very much needed.

Though the gadgets of the story are very different then ones we enjoy today; the parallels to our smart phone, internet-obsessed society are easy to see.

The whole story revolves around a holo-deck gone wrong.

Although the story was first published in The Saturday Evening post of September 23, 1950 it is most easily accessible from The Illustrated Man collection.

I was led to this story from my daughter who had it assigned to read during her junior high school years.  (That's middle school for those of you in the US.)  It certainly stayed in her mind for at least the past five years.

Ray Bradbury's official website is:   http://www.raybradbury.com/

To hear the radio drama of this story go to (this is where I found the interior art):  http://www.sffaudio.com/?p=40198

Ray Bradbury

September 23, 1950

Alternative title and interior art.

Face Value by Karen Joy Fowler

4/100

What an interesting story.

Two explorers, Hesper a linguist / poet and Taki an xenologist are embedded in an alien community trying to communicate with the native beings.

The story is interesting on two levels.

First, the team is trying to make, not so much first contact, as they are already accepted within the strange community, but first communication. The residents know they are there and interact by touching each human and going through their things.

Second, we witness the changing dynamics between Taki and Hesper: their relationship becomes strained by the frustrating lack of progress.

Stories like this one expose the fallacy of our current TV science fiction trope; that all we need to communicate is a universal translator.

Well worth reading.

This story was originally published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, November 1986.

Karen Joy Fowler's website is here:   http://karenjoyfowler.com/

Karen Joy Fowler

Fantasy & Science Fiction, November 1986

Book A Week Challenge - A Recap.

What fun this was.

There were times I thought I wouldn't make it.  I kept it simple by only reading books I had a real ability to finish in a week. Some books were quicker than others giving me some breathing room to tackle more challenging ones.

I also included two audio books that I was able to listen to while working.  They felt like a bit of a cheat but I decided they counted because I absorbed the information as if I had read them in book form.

A bit of a breakdown:
17 were Star Trek books
12 were non-fiction/memoir
8 were mystery/crime
7 were science fiction
3 were young adult
3 were literature
1 was humour
1 was a thriller

Below is a list of each book that made up the challenge.

1 - Angle of Investigation by Michael Connelly
2 - Monitor by Janice MacDonald
3 - Star Trek: Chain of Attack by Gene DeWeese
4 - The Max by Ken Bruen and Jason Starr
5 - Fifty-Two Pickup by Elmore Leonard

6 - Homeworld by Harry Harrison
7 - Cinnamon Skin by John D. MacDonald
8 - Farside by Ben Bova
9 - Command and Control by Eric Schlosser (audio book)
10 - Wheelworld by Harry Harrison

11 - Ice Station Zebra by Alistair MacLean
12 - The Last Quarry by Max Allan Collins
13 - The First Quarry by Max Allan Collins
14 - Train by Tom Zoellner
15 - Redshirts by John Scalzi

16 - Who Could That Be At This Hour by Lemony Snicket
17 - When Did You See Her Last? by Lemony Snicket
18 - Star Trek: The Covenant by Howard Weinstein
19 - Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler
20 - Star Trek: A Time To Sow by Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore

21 - Star Trek: A Time To Harvest by Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore
22 - An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield
23 - Star Trek: Department of Temporal Investigations: Forgotten History by Christopher L. Bennett
24 - Starfleet Academy: The Assassination Game by Alan Gratz
25 - Starfleet Academy: The Gemini Agent by Rick Barba

26 - Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night by David Mack
27 - Starworld by Harry Harrison
28 - Star Trek: Seekers: Second Nature by David Mack
29 - Starfleet Academy: The Delta Anomaly by Rick Barba
30 - Starfleet Academy: The Edge by Rudy Josephs

31 - Star Trek: Destiny: Mere Mortals by David Mack
32 - Star Trek: Destiny: Lost Souls by David Mack
33 - Star Trek: Typhon Pact: Zero Sum Game by David Mack
34 - Star Trek: Typhon Pact: Seize The Fire by Michael A. Martin
35 - Ocean Titans by Daniel Sekulich

36 - No Place to Hide by Glenn Greenwald
37 - The World America Made by Robert Kagan 
38 - Red Moon Rising by Matthew Brzezinski (audio book)
39 - The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe
40 - Black Code by Ronald J. Deibert

41 - Insanely Simple by Ken Segall
42 - Star Trek: Enterprise: The Good That Men Do by Andy Mangles and Michael A. Martin
43 - Hector and the Search for Happiness by Francois Lelord
44 - The Sins of the Fathers by Lawrence Block
45 - Space Cadet by Robert A. Heinlein

46 - The Ten, Make That Nine, Habits of Very Organized People. Make That Ten. by Steve Martin
47 - Star Trek:  Seekers 2: Point of Divergence by Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore
48 - This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper
49 - The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
50 - The Martian by Andy Weir

51 - Steal Like An Artist and Show Your Work! by Austin Kleon
52 - The Year of Reading Dangerously by Andy Miller

Sweet Sixteen by Kat Howard

3/100

An interesting story about genetic manipulation and a society that forces young girls into career rolls.

Forces is a bit strong, but not by much; at sixteen years of age girls are genetically and psychologically tested to determine what career she is best suited, for the betterment of society.  She does have input into this decision by listing her top three career choices.

It was a bit dystopian in feel, especially in that self-determination seems to have been lost.

It was a quick and easy read, definitely a nice addition to an issue that seems devoted to exploring situations where choices are limited.  There is a lot of subject matter to think about here, enough that expanding it to novel length would be welcomed.

Kat Howard's blog can be found here -  http://strangeink.blogspot.ca/

Kat Howard

The Old Equations by Jake Kerr

2/100

Here is a fun alternative history story.  What if Einstein's life was cut short and his theory of relativity was ignored?

In this future quantum mechanics is the basis of all physics. Now see what happens to a mission, headed to a nearby star, as it accelerates closer and closer to light speed.

I've always had trouble getting my head around the effects of speed on space-time, known as time dilation, and these poor souls must struggle with it too.

It was not what I expected for a re-imagining of The Cold Equations but it was very satisfying in that ignoring the laws of physics can have a very serious outcome.

I liked this one.

Jake Kerr's website is:   http://jakekerr.com/

Jake Kerr

Landing on Mars.

It's funny; knowing we've landed on the moon and dropped rovers on Mars, I thought it wouldn't be that difficult to land humans.


After reading The Mars Dilemma from the October/November 2014 issue of Air & Space Smithsonian magazine, I was surprised to learn how little we know about landing humans there.  The two factors coming into play are: the thinness of the atmosphere and how massive a manned vehicle would need to be.

The article was written by co-authors Robert Manning ad William L. Simon who also wrote the book Mars Rover Curiosity, something I must read soon.

I found this article particularly insightful especially after reading The Martian by Andy Weir.  You can find my review of Weir's book is HERE.

The article in question can be found here :
http://www.airspacemag.com/space/mars-dilemma-180952797/?all

Air & Space Smithsonian magazine is something I'm subscribed too and enjoy the mix of aviation history and new space exploration news.  Their website is here:
http://www.airspacemag.com/

Book Report #128 - The Year of Reading Dangerously by Andy Miller

Book 52 of 52
Page count 322

That's it!  Mission accomplished!

I started this challenge on February 1, 2014 and I read the last page of my 52nd book on January 31, 2015.


I will post a re-cap next Monday with a list of all the books.  You can also go back to my post, The Book A Week Challenge, to get an idea of what this challenge was like for me.

About half way through the challenge I heard about this book, pre-ordered it on Amazon.ca and I kept it within easy reach.  I wanted it to be my last book.  I mean, come on, how perfect is the title?

Andy Miller's reason to read his books was to quell an embarrassment of not having read classic literature.  He and his wife created The List of Betterment then set upon the task of reading them in the order listed.  The challenges of his goal were very similar to mine, specifically finding time to read and reconnecting the synapses in the brain required to read books.

Miller did a nice job of commenting on the novels themselves and his own life while reading his selections.  It was his personal observations that I enjoyed the most. 

It is the epilogue that made me say, "wonderful", out loud.  In it he writes of ebooks and modern publishing then goes on to explain his encounters with Douglas Adams.  Of all the books Miller read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is the only one we had in common.  I agreed with every word he wrote and felt very satisfied that we had the same conclusions about it.

It was a perfect pick for this challenge.  I highly recommend this book for anybody who feels they simply don't read enough.

Andy Miller's website is here:   http://mill-i-am.com/

Book Report #127 - Steal Like an Aritist and Show Your Work! by Austin Kleon

Austin Kleon

Book 51 of 52
Book 51 1/2 of 52
Page count 160
Page count 224

I decided to group these two books and call it one simply because they were very quick reads and work incredibly well together.

Steal Like an Artist -  is a cheerful look at creativity.  Kleon demonstrates how art, or any other human endeavour, is pushed forward by stealing the ideas of others and building on them to create your own work.  Basically he gives the reader permission to be influenced by others.

It is terrific.

Show Your Work! - takes a practical look at how to make yourself known to a wider audience by using the great power of the internet.

I found this book incredibly illuminating and have started to use some of his ideas on my other blog.

Read them both.  You won't be disappointed.

You should also visit Austin Kleon's website you may find yourself diving into his world.

http://austinkleon.com/

Also Austin Kleon

Book Report #126 - The Martian by Andy Weir

Book 50 of 52
Page count 369

This is my kind of science fiction.  It's known as Hard Sci Fi in that it is rooted in current science.  What I loved about this story is that it was firmly rooted in today's engineering.  Yes, the nuts and bolts of it all.

If you remember the movie Apollo 13, then you remember the scenes where the crew and engineers on the ground, would come up with all kinds of unique, ad hoc solutions to problems.  Well, this book is a lot like that, but on Mars.

Astronaut Mark Watney's crew leaves him behind during a mission-ending dust storm.  He was hit with some flying equipment and and blown down wind.  All his environmental suit instruments indicated that he had died and his crew mates were forced to evacuated the surface without him.

What follows is a story of survival filled with problems, interesting solutions, setbacks and dark humor.

I loved this book.

Andy Weir's website is here:   http://www.andyweirauthor.com/

Andy Weir

The Cold Equations by Tom Godwin

1/100

Oh my god!  This story is just as chilling as it was when it was first published in 1954. 

As the title suggests, the universe does not care about good intentions. There is no compromise when it comes to physics and mathematics. 

In this story we run into the desire of a young girl to surprise her older brother. But the laws of physics and the good of the many, to borrow a quote from Star Trek, has something to say about it. 

This is an excellent story and one that should not be missed by any science fiction fan. 

I read this in the July 2011 issue of Lightspeed magazine which includes a follow up short story called The Old Equations by Jake Kerr. 

The original story is now in the public domain and can easily be found with a Google search. Or, if you like you can find it HERE.

Book Report #125 - The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Book 49 of 52
Page count 550

I have no idea how to do justice to such a lyrical, beautiful, desperate, tragic and important work.

Zusak's use of language is a thing of beauty.  The narrator was unique and I thoroughly enjoyed the style of story telling.

We follow the life, triumphs and tragedies of Liesel Meminger a young German girl caught in the circumstances of the Second World War.


I believe this novel will stay with me for weeks before I can shake the effects of it.  As sad as it was I feel fortunate that I had the opportunity to read it.

Highly recommended.  Not for the faint of heart.

He does not have a dedicated website.  His Wikipedia page is HERE.

Markus Zusak

Without a book, Gasp!

I feel naked. 

I left my book behind and now I have nothing to read on my commute. 

This feels very strange to me. 

Book Report #124 - This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper

Book 48 of 52
Page count 339

What a wonderful book.

Ordinarily I don't gravitate to literary fiction, not enough happens, but this one was a delight to read.  It was also made into a film that I am looking forward to seeing. 

Judd Foxman's father has passed away and the family has been asked to sit shiva in his memory.  At the same time his marriage is also falling apart.  The ritual brings his entire family together, for a week of conflict, resentment and, ultimately, understanding.

Both my daughter and wife have read it, loved it, and wanted to hear my take on it.  Jonathan Tropper writes with the honest voice of every man.  This is an author who understands how to articulate the way men think and view the world.

Although the foundation of the story is completely sad it is an uplifting, funny and honest look at relationships.    Through the forced proximity of sitting shiva we get to see the cracks in the lives of everyone else.  It is the distance we keep between each other that promotes the belief that other people have their shit together better than we do.  Tropper reminds us that everybody's lives are a mess.

Tropper also has a way of turning a phrase that I fell in love with.  Here is how he opens the book:

"Dad's Dead," Wendy says offhandedly, like it's happened before, like it happens every day.  It can be grating, this act of hers, to be utterly unfazed at all times, even in the face of tragedy.  "He died two hours ago."

"How's Mom doing?"

"She's Mom, you know?  She wanted to know how much to tip the coroner."

In another moment Judd describes just how hurt and angry he is his wife's lover (who happens to be his own boss):

 "Wade could not get enough pancreatic cancer to satisfy me."

These are dark, funny and insightful lines and the book is filled with such gems.

Highly recommended.

Jonathan Tropper's website is HERE.

Jonathan Tropper

The Book A Week Challenge.

As I near the end of this challenge I find myself thinking about what to focus on next.

A book a week may not be a stretch for some but it was for me.  It kept me focused on the act of reading, which was what I wanted to cultivate all along.  Now I seldom find myself without a book within easy reach.

Some weeks were more difficult than others; there were times where I started two or three books but not latching on until I found the fourth one.  I found myself looking first at the page count before considering it.  If it was too long I'd add it to the "after the challenge" pile.


For 2015 I plan to slow it down a bit, I think 25 to 30 is plenty for me.  I also want to take up the challenge of reading more short stories.  I've got loads of collections and fiction magazines that are just begging to be read.  I find shorts to be a challenge all by themselves; without the room of a novel to explore characters or multiple plot lines - they are a different kind of read.

I'm going to make the target of 100 shorts for 2015.  That's only two a week which I should be able to do easily enough, at least I hope so.

I will still dive in to the Star Trek universe on a regular basis but my love of science fiction has lead me back to my first love: the space program.  Over 2014 I've been collecting many books on the subject of the Apollo program and today's robotic space exploration so I'll be reading through all of that.

My unofficial goal is to read more history, it could be related to the space program, Canadian history or the Cold War. I also like reading "this is how our world works" offerings.

Like always; I will follow my nose but I will slow it down so that I might have the luxury of savouring something instead of having my next book in the back of my mind.

What the Book-A-Week Challenge has taught me is that I love reading and it has helped me develop the skill to be continually doing so.  For that I am exceedingly satisfied with the result.

All the best for 2015.

Keep turning pages.