| Con Report ~ World Steam Expo |
[May. 29th, 2012|06:28 pm] |
My dear Gentle Reader, what follows is a relying of my adventures in far away Dearborn, Michigan. Steampunk shenanigans and the excursions of the Author Beast in far off climes will follow. You have been warned.
For some reason know only to the strange and fickle gods of flying (who have suspiciously similar capricious overtones to those of traffic and parking) it is remarkably difficult to get from California directly to the Northern Midwest. The last time I tried it, as my Twitter followers may recal it took me well over 24 hours. I ended up stranded in Cleveland with Unwoman and no suitcase. (Which, if I have a choice, I'll take Unwoman any day!) This time, during the Phoenix transition, we got all the way out onto the tarmac before having to deplane and wait for a new aircraft (a delay of a little over 2 hours). But I did make it safely to Dearborn eventually. I had the pleasure of sharing the crisis with Pop Haydn his lovely lady, and, we thought, The League of S.T.E.A.M. However we arrived at baggage claim without hint of the League. There was much confusion as to how so many, with so much luggage, had vanished with such thoroughness. Had the League disappeared in a puff of steam? Had they been victims of their own apparition dissolution apparatus? Or had they lost a great battle to The Lords Of Terribly Silly Adjournments (AKA the Lords of TSA)? It turned out they caught a different flight, never got stranded, and easily beat us to the hotel. Never underestimated the abilities of the League.
( Read more... )
Special Announcements
For those of you who found my blog via the con . . .
- The corsets I wore were all by Dark Garden Unique Corsetry. I recommend their work without reservations. Yes they can be costly but I really suggest that you save up and invest in a good corset rather than buying a cheap one. A cheap corset is like cheap shoes ~ liable to leave you blistered, uncomfortable, and very grumpy.
 - The corset busk covers were made for me by >Rubyblackbird Hand Made. Her etsy shop is currently under construction but you can contact her with your needs in mind and she'll be happy to accommodate you, I'm sure. She does make all her wars by hand specific to the corset so you should have an idea what you want or fabric you can send her to match. I suggest buying one more busk cover than you need, just to be on the safe side.
- The DIY for my utility cargo belt is located on my fashion blog, Retro Rack.
- I also have a few blogs about making some of the outfits you saw me wear at World Steam Expo including the iridescent skirts and tea died shirt.
- For those who wanted stuff on thrifting for Steampunk, here's the starter guide, and then the details for women and another one for men.
- My books are available wherever books are sold. You can get the first one from Amazon in paperback (Soulless)or graphic novel (Soulless: The Manga, Vol. 1) form. The hardback omnibuses are more difficult to acquire. If you don't want to try me in novel length, I also have two shorts available for $0.99 Marine Biology & My Sister's Song. Although neither of them is steampunk.
- And for the truly curious you can find my exhaustive FAQ page here.
Now I really must dash, I still haven't unpacked!!!
GAIL'S DAILY DOSE
Your Moment of Parasol . . .
Your Infusion of Cute . . .
Your Tisane of Smart . . .
Packing to Avoid Fees
Your Writerly Tinctures . . .
Genres in Fiction Writing: Literary Fiction vs. Everything Else
PROJECT ROUND UP
Deportment & Deceit ~ The Finishing School Book the Second:  First draft with second Beta reader.
Etiquette & Espionage ~ The Finishing School Book the First: Release date Feb 2013.
Manga ~ Soulless Vol. 2: (AKA Changeless) First chapter reviewed, drops on YenPlus April 12th. Print release tentatively Dec. 2012.
Timeless ~ Parasol Protectorate Book the Last. Out now!
Prudence ~ The Parasol Protectorate Abroad Book the First:  Release date Fall 2013.
    
BIG FAT SPOILER ALERT on the Parasol Protectorate series! Really, DON'T READ THE BLURB ON AMAZON if you haven't read the other books first!
 
The Omnibus hardback editions are limited run through the SciFi Bookclub only.
 
The manga editions, Vol. available in print, Vol. 2 by subscription to YenPlus.
   
Most short stories available in ebook form world wide!
The first Finishing School book ~ Not yet Released
Book News:
Quote of the Day:
"Having your book turned into a movie is like seeing your oxen turned into bouillon cubes."
~ John LeCarre
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| REVIEW: Wrath of Iron by Chris Wraight |
[May. 29th, 2012|05:00 pm] |
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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Sfsignal/~3/nxMavvwkWOU/ http://www.sfsignal.com/?p=55824  SYNOPSIS: Something foul is afoot on the planet of Shardenus in the Contqual sub-sector. Imperial Guard, Adeptus Mechanicus, and the fearsome Iron Hands Space Marine Chapter descend to cleanse the world of an unholy taint that has taken root.
MY RATING: 
MY REVIEW
PROS: Plenty of action from the perspectives of Imperial Guard, Titans, Space Marines, and even a Death Cult assassin.
CONS: Lack of plot and character depth; nothing new in regard to the Space Marine Battles series.
VERDICT: This is an average quality book in an average quality series.
The Space Marines of Clan Raukaan, Iron Hands Chapter, descend upon the hive world of Shardenus as part of a concerted Imperial effort to purge the world of mutant, heretic and daemon. Once the Iron Hands make planetfall it quickly becomes apparent to the mortal Imperial commanders that the space marines have an agenda of their own. Regular soldiers of the Imperial Guard are fed into the meat grinder of war at an alarming pace in order to expedite this superhuman agenda and eventually the question must be asked: “Are the Iron Hands any less monstrous than the enemy?”
“…there were few forces in the galaxy capable of resisting it: ten thousand years of anger, of rage, of bitterness, all concentrated into a single, machine-augmented storm of vengeance. Now the storm was coming. Now Shardenus would face the wrath of iron.”
Wrath of Iron is the second novel of the Space Marine Battles series written by Chris Wraight. As new blood to the Black Library it came as quite a surprise to me how well written Battle of the Fang, Wraight’s first Warhammer 40k novel, was. Battle of the Fang reconciled the Horus Heresy version of the Space Wolves with the commonly-accepted modern version. The novel provided some great action and decent character development, all the while telling an important story and easily becoming my favorite of the Space Marine Battles novels. I expected that the Iron Hands would get a similar treatment, shining some light on one of the most underrated of all Space Marine Chapters. Regrettably Wrath of Iron is not the novel I was hoping for. Instead it joins the mundane ranks of what has been a lackluster series from its inception.
The purpose of the Space Marine Battles series is to focus on notable engagements of various Space Marine Chapters and display some famous heroes in all their glory. So far the series has been rife with action and noticeably lacking in depth. I like action as much as the next guy (and probably more) and I have even defended earlier entries of the series as being fun fluff. That said, after reading books of the series such as Battle of the Fang and Rob Sanders’ Legion of the Damned, it has become evident that “fun fluff” doesn’t necessarily have to mean “shallow.”
Wrath of Iron starts out strong with a revealing quote attributed to the Primarch of the Iron Hands Chapter, Ferrus Manus. This quote sets the stage for the real conflict to come – not so much Good vs. Evil but instead Flesh vs. Metal. The Iron Hands Chapter has always interested me. The They are stoic even when compared to normal Space Marines. They aspire to emulate their fallen Primarch by replacing their biological parts with machine ones. No longer trusting in their gene-wrought perfection, the Iron Hands have become callous with regards to human life. They are careful with objectives and careless with assets. This robotic attitude sparks a disagreement with Lord General Nethata, commander of the Imperial Guard forces, as Clan Commander Rauth continually sacrifices lives in return for results. Given the nature of the Warhammer 40k universe this seemingly careless indifference to the sanctity of life should not have surprised me, but I couldn’t help but be awed at the extent of Rauth’s inhumanity. This on its own is an excellent start toward depicting the Iron Hands and giving the novel flavor, if only Wraight had capitalized on this and developed it.
This theme fails to mature past infancy as the characters are evidence enough. Wraight neglects to designate a main protagonist. The narrative bounces around between Clan Commander Rauth, Lord General Nethata, a squad commander by the name of Morvox, two conspirators of a Hive rebellion, a Titan princeps, and a Death Cult assassin. Generally the diversity of such a cast would be a benefit, but none of the characters grow past the reader’s first impression. Morvox displayed the most potential of all, with brief glimpses of humanity beneath his impassive exterior, but he ultimately falls short of becoming anything more than a flat representation of an Iron Hand. The divergence in strategy between Rauth and Nethata is interesting to say the least. Oftentimes Space Marines and Imperial Guard have separate goals and objectives but Wrath of Iron takes this a step further with clashing ideologies and the added complication of the Adeptus Mechanicus.
The main appeal of the Space Marine Battles series is bound to be the action and there is no shortage of it here. Readers will experience the gritty, personal melee as only a space marine can deliver it. Whether soaring into battle with the Harakoni Warhawks or striding across the wasteland in the awe inspiring might of a Warlord Titan, Wraight offers the whole experience. The enemies of the Imperium range from poor deluded guardsmen who falsely believe that they are fighting for the Emperor, to mutants, and eventually daemons of Slaanesh. Despite the variety I did find the action to be slightly vanilla at times. I commend Wraight for writing a Space Marine Battles novel where the good guys are doing the besieging for once, but there is nothing really new to be found here. I feel as though I have contracted shell shock from this series, with all the battles blurring into one bland whole.
Wrath of Iron is a decent addition to the Space Marine Battles series, even if its quality resides in the median of the Black Library spectrum. If you are looking for some light reading filled with plenty of violence then you could do far worse. Hardcore Warhammer 40k fans are likely to purchase this book for their collection regardless, but I would recommend that those on a tight book budget pass this one up.
Share/Bookmark Related posts:
- REVIEW: Iron Jaw and Hummingbird by Chris Roberson
- REVIEW: Sons of Dorn By Chris Roberson
- REVIEW: The Iron Giant by Ted Hughes
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| SF Signal Welcomes Nick Sharps! |
[May. 29th, 2012|04:59 pm] |
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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Sfsignal/~3/Wu2B6d7RkSQ/ http://www.sfsignal.com/?p=55926  We here at SF Signal HQ are pleased to announce that Nick Sharps has joined the ranks SF Signal’s ever-growing blog army!
As if associating himself with us wasn’t enough of a bother, we asked Nick to tell us about himself in the third-person. Here’s what he said:
Nick Sharps is an Advertising major at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. He is passionate about movies, video games and music, but literature remains his one true love. More of Nick’s reviews can be found at Elitist Book Reviews and his personal blog, Goatfairy Review Blog.
Welcome aboard, Nick! We’re thrilled to have you on board. As a card-carrying member of the most suspicious-looking bunch of bloggers anywhere, you may finally be privy to a secret: New Guy (taht’s you) buys everyone else bagels! We’re not picky about flavor…but if I don’t get an “Everything Bagel” soon, there will be hell to pay. HELL TO PAY! 
While Nick is trying to figure out whether I’m serious, crazy or seriously crazy…check out his review of Wrath of Iron by Chris Wraight!
Meanwhile, please join me in welcoming Nick to the team!
Share/Bookmark Related posts:
- SF Signal Welcomes Jessica Strider!
- SF Signal Welcomes John Ottinger III
- SF Signal Welcomes Lisa Paitz Spindler
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| Publishers Weekly Moves Into Self-Publishing |
[May. 29th, 2012|01:23 pm] |
Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware
A couple of years ago, I blogged about the launch of PW Select, an online supplement to the regular PW magazine. PW Select, which is published quarterly, allows self-published writers to buy brief listings (author, title, subtitle, price, pagination and format, ISBN, a brief description, and ordering information) for $149. With every issue of the supplement, a limited number of books--around 25%--are chosen for review.
Read the rest of this entry » Mirrored from SFWA | Comment at SFWA |
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| Your hemi-semi-weekly Vietnamese proverb |
[May. 30th, 2012|12:00 am] |
“Chở củi về rừng”: “carrying wood into the forest/jungle”. Doing useless things (like “carrying coal to Newcastle”, an English proverb I learnt at the same time as the Vietnamese one). Hahaha, that one is hilarious.
In other news, I have 3k words on the novel. One of my fave characters just showed up (great cook, good sense of humour, major temper. What’s not to love). Just one more scene, and I’ll be done with chapter 1!
Cross-posted from Aliette de Bodard
Leave a comment at original post, or comment here. |
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| Weekly SkyWatcher’s Forecast: May 28 – June 3, 2012 |
[May. 29th, 2012|09:30 pm] |
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http://www.universetoday.com/95496/weekly-skywatchers-forecast-may-28-june-3-2012/ http://www.universetoday.com/?p=95496  Hadley Rille - Credit: Damien Peach Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! As the Venus Transit draws closer, our bright neighboring planet is quickly disappearing into the sunset glow. As we await this astronomical piece of history, let’s take the time this week to have a look at a host of wonderful lunar features and bright stars. Be sure to catch the conjunction of Spica, Saturn and the Moon – and to catch a shooting star from the Tau Herculid meteor shower! If you’re ready to learn more about the history, mystery and magic of astronomy, then grab your optics and meet me in the back yard… (...)
Read the rest of Weekly SkyWatcher’s Forecast: May 28 – June 3, 2012 (2,529 words)
© tammy for Universe Today, 2012. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: Bright Stars, conjunction, Lunar Studies, Tau Herculid Meteor Shower
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