Reviewing my Best of 2007 list

Jeff VanderMeer's recent Omnivoracious post about the "conventionality" of the just-announced World Fantasy Award finalists, with his suggestions for alternates that he felt were as good as the books named, reminded me to look back at my late December 2007 post that named what I felt were the Best 2007 releases that I had read by then.

Out of the three major American-oriented SF Awards (Nebulas, Hugos, WFA), I had two of their combined Best Novel finalists in my Top 12, Nalo Hopkinson's The New Moon's Arms (Nebula) and Emma Bull's Territory (WFA). In addition, Shaun Tan's The Arrival was nominated for a Hugo for Best Related Book, Tim Pratt's Hart & Boot & Other Stories received a WFA nomination for Best Collection, and the John Klima-edited Logorrhea also was nominated for a WFA in the Best Anthology collection.

Not too shabby, I suppose, and if I had read Michael Chabon's Nebula winning and Hugo nominated The Yiddish Policemen's Union in 2007, it likely would have been added to the list. However, of the books on those lists that I have read, the majority of those wouldn't have come close to being on that list of mine; they were mostly solid, but rather pedestrian in feel compared to the ones I chose. What I found interesting about VanderMeer's suggested alternatives was that in virtually every case, I had either read the book and had it either in my top 12 or on the "next 10" or I read it earlier this year and enjoyed it enough that I likely would have had it on either one of my two lists. I still have to read Daniel Abraham's A Betrayal in Winter, John Crowley's Endless Things (have the book, but I am waiting for the revised editions for the other Ægypt novels to be released first), and Paul Park's Roumania novels. I have read the first in each of their series and each was a joy to read, so I do have high hopes for the sequels.

Shall be quite interesting to see how my upcoming Best of 2008 lists will rank with the nominees for next year's awards.

August 4-9 Book Porn

This edition of book porn features a shift more towards non-fiction. In the coming months, expect more of my purchases to include historical works. It was a nice bit of coincidence that one of the two history-related books was sent to me as a review copy, since I will be teaching modern US History this school year and the last few weeks of school will certainly revolve around the events of the current President's administration. But enough of the chatter, on to naming the 7 books, of which 2 are purchases, 1 is an Advance Review Copy/galley, and the final 4 are review copies sent to me:

Top-left: Robert Graves, Good-Bye to All That; Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colón, After 9/11: America's War on Terror (2001 - ).

Bottom-left: David Anthony Durham, Acacia: The War with the Mein; Jorge Luis Borges, El idioma de los argentinos; Kimberly Raye, Just One Bite.

Michael Moorcock, Elric: To Rescue Tanelorn; K.J. Parker, The Company.

More on most of these in the coming months. Although I have the hardcover for Durham's book (which I enjoyed quite a bit) and the Graves book I read 13 years ago for an upper-division history class on the cultural history of World War I, the rest of these books are new to me and I have high hopes for enjoyable reading experiences.

A reading meme

So Gabriele tagged me for this one:

Nightstand/Table:

Don't have a table and my nightstand is too packed with an alarm clock, CD system speakers, and my C-PAP for there to be any room for books. However, I do keep a stack of books on my computer tower. These will be listed shortly.

Reading at the Moment:

Barely a damn thing since late June (only read 11 books in July, or less than 1/3 of my monthly averages for this year). But let's see what I have received lately that I began reading a bit:

Jorge Luis Borges, El idioma de los argentinos (commentaries)

Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colón, After 9/11: America's War on Terror (2001 - ) (Graphic novel; review copy)

Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger, The Malleus Maleficarium (historical artifact, the witch hunter's guide)

Angélica Gorodischer, Bajo las Jubeas en flor (short story collection)

Tennessee State Standards for teaching U.S. History - Exciting read, no?


Can't Put Down:

It's those state standards, baby! Yeah, right. Right now, I've barely had time to read anything (and I ought to add, I don't read books in bed, so I'm apparently bending the rules of this meme a bit to be able to answer it at all).


Gathering Dust:

The 30 or so books I bought or received in July/August so far. C'est la vie.


Secret Indulgence:

Those state standards again? Don't have any "secrets" about my indulgences!


Looking Forward To:

School on Monday? Umm...mostly to having time to read books again, period.


As for tagging, I tag Aidan, Neth/Ken, Harlan Ellison, Jack Vance, and Terry Goodkind. Or three other people who want to do this thing. Same difference.

Projecting the 2008 Hugo finalists for Best Novel

Been even more busy with beginning the school year than I thought (crashed three days this week before the sun had properly set!), so this will be a very truncated version of what I had planned. Unfortunately, I'll also have to project in some cases based on partial reads of the works, so my takes on these might not be as informed as I would like.

Michael Chabon, The Yiddish Policemen's Union

Why it will win: Already a finalist or winner of several awards this year, including winning the Nebula Award, this alt-history account of post-WWII Jews settling in Alaska after the failure to re-establish a Jewish homeland around Jerusalem works on many levels. There is a mystery element that appeals to many, but for others it is the combination of Chabon's prose and the under-the-surface examination of ethnicity and identity that made this an appealing book for many.

Why it won't win: For those hardline SF-only people, Chabon's book is not going to satisfy their desire to have a SF book win the Hugo. This book may get the majority of the first place votes, but if it doesn't have a good distribution among the other places, it quickly might be dropped from contention due to how the Hugo voting is done.


Ian McDonald, Brasyl

Why it will win: Brasyl is a clever story that intertwines three time periods and three diverse PoV characters to tell a tale that is intriguing, especially when considered at length. It too has been nominated for several awards and it won the 2008 British Science Fiction Award, so it too has to be considered a strong contender, especially if it receives a good distribution of second and third-place votes to stay afloat in the early rounds of voting.

Why it won't win: Some are divided on the ending, thinking it is a bit weak. Others might wish for a more overtly "SF" book and vote for one of the three contenders below instead. If Chabon doesn't win the award, McDonald would be my second choice and I expect it to come in at least 3rd place, if not 2nd or even 1st.


Robert J. Sawyer, Rollback

Why it will win: Sawyer is very well-known in the SF community and many of his previous novels and shorter stories have won numerous awards, including the Hugos. From many accounts that I have read, Rollback is a fairly decent Sawyer novel, which means it might get plenty of mid-place votes that'll keep it in contention into the latter rounds.

Why it won't win: With Chabon, McDonald, Stross, and Scalzi in the field, each receiving praise from various parts for their work, it'll be difficult for Sawyer to have more first-place votes than any of these others.


John Scalzi, The Last Colony

Why it will win: Scalzi is also very well-known in the SF community and his Old Man's War novels have been well-received by many. Winner of the Campbell Award a few years ago, he has the visibility necessary to garner a lot of votes spread out among the places.

Why it won't win: I haven't heard as much "favorite" talk for Scalzi's book as I have had for the Chabon, McDonald, and Stross entries and I am uncertain if in the latter rounds of voting that he'll receive more higher-place votes than any of these three.


Charles Stross, Halting State

Why it will win: Some have been wondering if this will be Stross's "year," after being a finalist numerous times the previous few years. In addition, his books are usually well-received with those who like the more "hard" SF elements in their fiction. Doesn't hurt that he too is very visible in the SF community.

Why it won't win: His prose isn't exactly appealing to those readers who might prefer something a bit more polished and "readable." While he might appeal to the tech-heads and others who like the "hard" SF stuff, the book may fail to garner a lot of first or second-place votes from those who value storytelling foremost.

And if I had to rank them based on what I've read and on past experiences with these authors, my ballot would look like this:

1. Chabon
2. McDonald
3. Scalzi
4. Sawyer
5. Stross

Doubtless, the final results (which ought to be announced tonight, I believe) will be quite different. Thoughts on the finalists?

Knowing my role

Do you smell what the rock is cooking?
The Rock says, The Rock says, The Rock says, The Rock says
The Rock says, The Rock says know you damn role
Know your role
The Rock says
The Rock says
The Rock says
The Rock says
The Rock says know your damn role
The Rock says, The Rock says, The Rock says, The Rock says
The Rock says, The Rock Say know you damn role
Know your role
The Rock says
The Rock says
The Rock says
The Rock says
The Rock says
The Rock says know your damn role

I've been very busy the past four days getting acclimated to my new high school, meeting my new colleagues, and having a blast teasing my fellow social studies teachers (no English this year, only one preparation for the first time since the 2000-2001 school year! I'm beyond ecstatic about that). However, I've been mostly unable to find the time/energy to keep up with the constant teacup tempest brewings, so I guess the one interesting bit I read this afternoon might serve as a nice dovetail back into my personal/professional life.

Gabe Chouinard has a reaction to the reactions to last week's discussion regarding finding ways of paying bloggers. To be blunt, he's quite frustrated with the reaction that many had to his proposals of finding a way to generate revenue from getting publishers and others in the industry to buy ads on various SF/F blogs. Descriptors such as "placid" and "resistent to change" are peppered throughout his post, used to argue that those who are opposed to his ideas are being reluctant to engage the possibility of working with publishers to create content in exchange for money.

While it sounds nice, I naturally noticed a few flaws in this approach. First off, what sort of "advertising" are we talking about? If it's money, wouldn't advertisers like to see some bang for their buck? This blog probably is in upper tier of non-author/publishing firm SF/F blogs in regards to hits and between direct and feed views, I only average slightly more than 1,000 page views a day. While there are a few sites that I know of that get 2x or 3x that traffic, most "independent" SF/F blogs that have reliable tracking numbers (this is excluding Livejournal, unfortunately) that I know of receive less than half of mine.

One thousand daily page views might sound like a good number for many, but compared to the Boing-Boings or other such sites, it is miniscule. Add to that the fact that I likely share about 1/3 to 1/2 of my audience with similar blogs and it really doesn't make much sense to pay more than a pittance for advertising, even if I were so inclined.

In a time in which major newspapers such as the New York Times is losing quite a bit of its ad revenue due to the slumping economy, it seems rather odd to think that online spec fic advertising on sites that get maybe 50-500 page views a day would 1) be approved by advertising firms, and in the unlikely case of it happening, 2) would pay more than maybe $10-50/month.

I'm quite realistic where I stand in the hierarchy - just big enough for certain "higher ups" to have noticed me, but far from the gravy train of publicity/advertising revenue. I would imagine that I'd have to at least multiply my daily average by 10-20x to have any realistic expectations of getting advertising dollars. Besides, when I'm making over $40,000 a year as a teacher, I'm in no hurry to quit my day job to do what would amount to lower-paying freelance work on a more than full-time basis. I know my role, and that is to be a teacher first, a blogger somewhat further down the line.

That being said, tomorrow is my first day with the students. I expect to have some fun.

2008 World Fantasy Award finalists

As taken from Locus Online:

LIFE ACHIEVEMENT

Leo & Diane Dillon

Patricia McKillip

NOVEL

Fangland, John Marks (Penguin)

The Gospel of the Knife, Will Shetterly (Tor)

The Servants, Michael Marshall Smith (Earthling Publications)

Territory, Emma Bull (Tor)

Ysabel, Guy Gavriel Kay (Viking Canada; Roc)

NOVELLA

"Cold Snap", Kim Newman (The Secret Files of the Diogenes Club)

Illyria, Elizabeth Hand (PS Publishing)

"The Master Miller's Tale", Ian R. MacLeod (F&SF May 2007)

The Mermaids, Robert Edric (PS Publishing)

"Stars Seen through Stone", Lucius Shepard (F&SF Jul 2007)

SHORT STORY

"The Cambist and Lord Iron: A Fairy Tale of Economics", Daniel Abraham (Logorrhea)

"The Church on the Island", Simon Kurt Unsworth (At Ease with the Dead, Ash-Tree Press)

"Damned If You Don't", Robert Shearman (Tiny Deaths)

"The Evolution of Trickster Stories Among the Dogs of North Park After the Change", Kij Johnson (The Coyote Road)

"Singing of Mount Abora", Theodora Goss (Logorrhea)

ANTHOLOGY

The Coyote Road, Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling, eds. (Viking)

Five Strokes to Midnight, Gary A. Braunbeck & Hank Schwaeble, eds. (Haunted Pelican Press)

Inferno, Ellen Datlow, ed. (Tor)

Logorrhea, John Klima, ed. (Bantam Spectra)

Wizards, Jack Dann & Gardner Dozois, eds. (Berkley)

COLLECTION

Dagger Key and Other Stories, Lucius Shepard (PS Publishing)

Hart & Boot & Other Stories, Tim Pratt (Night Shade Books)

Plots and Misadventures, Stephen Gallagher (Subterranean Press)

Portable Childhoods, Ellen Klages (Tachyon Publications)

The Secret Files of the Diogenes Club, Kim Newman (MonkeyBrain Books)

Tiny Deaths, Robert Shearman (Comma Press)

ARTIST

Ruan Jia

Mikko Kinnunen

Stephan Martiniere

Edward Miller

John Picacio

SPECIAL AWARD, PROFESSIONAL

Allison Baker & Chris Roberson (for MonkeyBrain Books)

Alan Beatts & Jude Feldman (for Borderlands Books)

Peter Crowther (for PS Publishing)

Jeremy Lassen & Jason Williams (for Night Shade Books)

Shawna McCarthy (for Realms of Fantasy)

Gordon Van Gelder (for F&SF)

SPECIAL AWARD, NON-PROFESSIONAL

G. S. Evans & Alice Whittenburg (for Cafe Irreal, http://home.sprynet.com/~awhit/)

John Klima (for Electric Velocipede)

Rosalie Parker & Raymond Russell (for Tartarus Press)

Midori Snyder & Terri Windling (for Endicott Studios Website)

Stephen Jones (for Travellers in Darkness: The Souvenir Book of the World Horror Convention 2007)

Quick thoughts (still exhausted from beginning the school year - having the most fun during the in-service sessions that I've ever had, in case you're curious - so this will be brief, as I have one other post to make tonight before I crash): Interesting to see Emma Bull and her husband, Will Shetterly, each garner nominations for Best Novel. Don't know if this has ever happened before in a single year. Only have read Territory out of that group (have heard of the others, though) and I thought it was well-deserving of a nomination. Also read the Logorrhea and Wizards anthologies and Tim Pratt's Hart & Boot collection; thought the Pratt was strong, a bit more ambivalent about some of the stories in the two anthologies. More thoughts later, once I read the other finalists.

Gene Wolfe on some contemporary styles

From the recent Clarkesworld Magazine review:

Style and voice seem crucial to a short story but are easily turned into abstractions.

Style has become a bucket of worms, thanks to the deteriorating standards of the public schools. The chief style I see in student stories is American Illiterate. It shows up in published stories sometimes too. "Should an enemy warrior cross that line, kill them!" Well, that's okay if the order-giver is an illiterate. Unfortunately, the illiterate is just about always the author. Other than that, the style should suit the story. Imagine The Wings of the Dove as told by Huck Finn. It would be funny for ten pages, but...

If you're asking about the author's voice, or the narrator's, it's so closely linked to style that I see no point in discussing it separately. If you mean the voice in which each character speaks, each must be different. The butler mustn't sound like the footman, even though neither is an important character. This is one of those truths that students reject out of hand. They reject it because everybody sounds alike.

To them.

Come and think of this, this could also be tied in to the continuing discussion on reviewers' styles, not that I would ever do that, right?

Considering that I just finished my second day of in-service training today, funny how Wolfe's statements dovetail nicely with what high school English teachers have said for years about student writing and comprehension of literature. But I suppose some might disagree with this assessment and with Wolfe's comments. Perhaps someone reading this has something to say?