I am making some zombie contingency plans. So should you. Do zombies like chocolate, or fear bad elections, or are they above such things? Zombies. Hmm.
Monthly Archives: February 2005
A Sharyn moment…
I was sitting in my office this afternoon, and had a moment that made me think about Sharyn. I’d just opened that day’s mail, and sat down with a chili chocolate Tim Tam in one hand, and a copy of the galley of Diana Wynne Jones’ new novel Conrad’s Fate in the other. Struck me as a Sharyn kind of moment. I’ve also been reading for the book I’m editing for her, and it’s looking very good. Happiness.
Satire 1972
Thirty three years ago Randy Newman wrote and recorded “Political Science”, a satirical song about the role of his great nation in the modern world. Listening to it today, it sounds just as topical as it must have then. And, sadly, the description of Australia doesn’t sound satirical at all….
No one likes us-I don’t know why
We may not be perfect, but heaven knows we try
But all around, even our old friends put us down
Let’s drop the big one and see what happens
We give them money-but are they grateful?
No, they’re spiteful and they’re hateful
They don’t respect us-so let’s surprise them
We’ll drop the big one and pulverize them
Asia’s crowded and Europe’s too old
Africa is far too hot
And Canada’s too cold
And South America stole our name
Let’s drop the big one
There’ll be no one left to blame us
We’ll save Australia
Don’t wanna hurt no kangaroo
We’ll build an All American amusement park there
They got surfin’, too
Boom goes London and boom Paree
More room for you and more room for me
And every city the whole world round
Will just be another American town
Oh, how peaceful it will be
We’ll set everybody free
You’ll wear a Japanese kimono
And there’ll be Italian shoes for me
They all hate us anyhow
So let’s drop the big one now
Let’s drop the big one now
O’Leary’s hat
Patrick O’Leary, who wrote a wonderful novel called The Gift, has a fine new fantasy short story, “The Witch’s Hand” online at Infinite Matrix.
Locus’s Best of the Best 2005
I’m always interested in what gets overlooked. Hidden in a corner of the February 2005 issue of Locus, in the recommended reading section, is Locus‘s list of the “Best of the Best” short stories of 2004. This list was arrived at by the simplest of methods. Each of the stories listed received a minimum of five votes from our group of recommenders. It’s not a flawless system, but all of the stories recommended are worthy, and if we all might have changed the list (some of my favorite stories of the year are here, some are missing), it’s still interesting. Stories are listed alphabetically, by author.
“Leviathan Wept”, Daniel Abrahams
“The Garden”, Eleanor Arnason
“Quarry”, Peter S. Beagle
“The Fear Gun”, Judith Berman
“A Night in the Tropics”, Jeffrey Ford
“Men Are Trouble”, James Patrick Kelly
“Under the Flag of Night”, Ian McDowell
“Pat Moore”, Tim Powers
“Cold Fires”, M. Rickert
“The Voluntary State”, Christopher Rowe
“The Word That Sings the Scythe”, Michael Swanwick
“The Lost Pilgrim”, Gene Wolfe