Jon Moss Reviews "The Blade Itself"

Taking the 50-Word Review Challenge!

The book: The Blade Itself
The author: Joe Abercrombie
The reviewer: Jon Moss
Available from: Barnes & Noble

-->The first three hundred pages of this book were riveting. Most of the rest was entertaining but ultimately the ending disappointed somewhat – unless you like leaping off a cliff to the next book. This story was quite a ride – lots of action, fighting, intrigue, and fascinating characters.  

An extended review is available on Moss's blog.
 
Readers, Please Comment: Did you enjoy this review? Dislike it? Agree? Disagree? Please share what you think!
More reviews coming soon!
COVER IMAGE: Courtesy of Barnes & Noble.

Jon Moss Reviews "Red Moon and Black Mountain"

Taking the 50-Word Review Challenge!

The book: Red Moon and Black Mountain
The author: Joy Chant
The reviewer: Jon Moss
Available from: Amazon

I found Chant’s prose enthralling, her worldbuilding transcendent and her characterization enlightened.  I soaked in elements of epic and high fantasy and reminisced about other parallel world fantasies I’d read in my youth.  And I ask that you give this forgotten classic a chance.  I predict you will be pleasantly surprised.  

An extended review is available on Moss's blog.
 
Readers, Please Comment: Did you enjoy this review? Dislike it? Agree? Disagree? Please share what you think!
More reviews coming soon!
COVER IMAGE: Courtesy of Amazon.

KaCSFFS Meeting Today!

Unusual FOURTH-Saturday KaCSFFS Meeting set for April 27, 2013:

The Writers Place

What time:  

Open Board Meeting: 5:30 p.m.

General Meeting: 6:30 p.m.

Where: 

The Writers Place,  3607 Pennsylvania Ave., Kansas City, MO 6411

What's going on there:

Joining KaCSFFS, Buying ConQuesT Memberships, Eating, Socializing, and, most importantly, VOTING!

Have you cast your vote yet?

What will the voters say?
Absentee voting has been completed, but the main, in-person election has yet to be held. You must be a current dues-paid member to vote. Current, dues-paid members are those whose membership is good through March 2014.

For full details on the nominees, please review the earlier post, "We have a Contested Election!"

Time is also running out to reserve a ConQuesT 44 hotel room!

Holiday Inn Express CoCo Key Hotel/Resort.

There are still a few rooms left in the ConQuesT hotel block, book now before the discount rate of $85/night expires on May 1st. Make sure to enter the event group code SFS when booking to lock in the ConQuesT room rate. It's very likely there may not be room availability after the deadline due to Royals games happening right across I-70 in the Truman Sports Complex.

PHOTO CREDITS: The image of The Writers Place is from their website. The ballot box graphic is from 'The Nev Filter" blog. The photo of the Holiday Inn Express CoCo Key, where ConQuesT 44 will be held, is from the hotel's website. 

Hugo Award Nominees Announced

LoneStarCon 3 Announces Hugo Nominees
In case you missed this announcement when it came out at the end of March . . .

Tim Kirk's 1976 Hugo Trophy design
for Midamericon in Kansas City.

Best Novel (1,113 ballots)
2312, by Kim Stanley Robinson (Orbit)
Blackout, by Mira Grant (Orbit)
Captain Vorpatril's Alliance, by Lois McMaster Bujold (Baen)
Redshirts: A Novel with Three Codas, by John Scalzi (Tor)
Throne of the Crescent Moon, by Saladin Ahmed (DAW)

Best Novella (587 ballots)
After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall, by Nancy Kress (Tachyon Publications)
The Emperor's Soul, by Brandon Sanderson (Tachyon Publications)
On a Red Station, Drifting, by Aliette de Bodard (Immersion Press)
San Diego 2014: The Last Stand of the California Browncoats, by Mira Grant (Orbit)
The Stars Do Not Lie, by Jay Lake (Asimov's, Oct-Nov 2012)

Deb Kosiba's 2012 design
for Chicon 7, Chicago, IL.

Best Novelette (616 ballots)
"The Boy Who Cast No Shadow," by Thomas Olde Heuvelt (Postscripts: Unfit For Eden, PS Publications)
"Fade To White," by Catherynne M. Valente (Clarkesworld, August 2012)
"The Girl-Thing Who Went Out for Sushi," by Pat Cadigan (Edge of Infinity, Solaris)
"In Sea-Salt Tears," by Seanan McGuire (Self-published)
"Rat-Catcher," by Seanan McGuire (A Fantasy Medley 2, Subterranean)

Best Short Story (662 ballots)
"Immersion," by Aliette de Bodard (Clarkesworld, June 2012)
"Mantis Wives," by Kij Johnson (Clarkesworld, August 2012)
"Mono no Aware," by Ken Liu (The Future is Japanese, VIZ Media LLC)
Note: This category has 3 nominees due to a 5% requirement under Section 3.8.5 of the WSFS constitution.

Marina Gelineau's 2011 design for
Renovation, Reno, NV.

Best Related Work (584 ballots)
The Cambridge Companion to Fantasy Literature, Edited by Edward James & Farah Mendlesohn (Cambridge UP)
Chicks Dig Comics: A Celebration of Comic Books by the Women Who Love Them, Edited by Lynne M. Thomas & Sigrid Ellis (Mad Norwegian Press)
Chicks Unravel Time: Women Journey Through Every Season of Doctor Who, Edited by Deborah Stanish & L.M. Myles (Mad Norwegian Press)
"I Have an Idea for a Book," The Bibliography of Martin H. Greenberg, compiled by Martin H. Greenberg, edited by John Helfers (The Battered Silicon Dispatch Box)
Writing Excuses Season Seven, by Brandon Sanderson, Dan Wells, Mary Robinette Kowal, Howard Tayler and Jordan Sanderson

Best Graphic Story (427 ballots)
Grandville Bete Noire, written and illustrated by Bryan Talbot (Dark Horse Comics, Jonathan Cape)
Locke & Key Volume 5: Clockworks, written by Joe Hill, illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez (IDW)
Saga, Volume One, written by Brian K. Vaughn, illustrated by Fiona Staples (Image Comics)
Schlock Mercenary: Random Access Memorabilia, by Howard Tayler, colors by Travis Walton (Hypernode Media)
Saucer Country, Volume 1: Run, written by Paul Cornell, illustrated by Ryan Kelly, Jimmy Broxton and Goran Sudžuka (Vertigo)

2009 design by Dave Howell
with base detail, created for
Anticipation, in Montreal,
Quebec, Canada.

Best Dramatic Presentation (Long Form)
(787 ballots)
The Avengers, Screenplay & Directed by Joss Whedon (Marvel Studios, Disney, Paramount)
The Cabin in the Woods, Screenplay by Drew Goddard & Joss Whedon; Directed by Drew Goddard (Mutant Enemy, Lionsgate)
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Screenplay by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro, Directed by Peter Jackson (WingNut Films, New Line Cinema, MGM, Warner Bros)
The Hunger Games, Screenplay by Gary Ross & Suzanne Collins, Directed by Gary Ross (Lionsgate, Color Force)
Looper, Screenplay and Directed by Rian Johnson (FilmDistrict, EndGame Entertainment)

Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form)
(597 ballots)
Doctor Who: "The Angels Take Manhattan," Written by Steven Moffat, Directed by Nick Hurran (BBC Wales)
Doctor Who: "Asylum of the Daleks," Written by Steven Moffat; Directed by Nick Hurran (BBC Wales)
Doctor Who: "The Snowmen," Written by Steven Moffat, Directed by Saul Metzstein (BBC Wales)
Fringe: "Letters of Transit," Written by J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Akiva Goldsman, J.H.Wyman, Jeff Pinkner. Directed by Joe Chappelle (Fox)
Game of Thrones: "Blackwater," Written by George R.R. Martin, Directed by Neil Marshall. Created by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss (HBO)

2007 design by Takashi
Kinoshita, for Nippon 2007,
Yokohama, Japan.

Best Editor - Short Form (526 ballots)
John Joseph Adams
Neil Clarke
Stanley Schmidt
Jonathan Strahan
Sheila Williams

Best Editor - Long Form (408 ballots)
Lou Anders
Sheila Gilbert
Liz Gorinsky
Patrick Nielsen Hayden
Toni Weisskopf

2003 design by Franklyn Johnson for
Torcon 3 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada;
 this is the Best Novel award won that
year by Robert J. Sawyer.

Best Professional Artist (519 ballots)
Vincent Chong
Julie Dillon
Dan Dos Santos
Chris McGrath
John Picacio

Best Semiprozine (404 ballots)
Apex Magazine, edited by Lynne M. Thomas, Jason Sizemore and Michael Damian Thomas
Beneath Ceaseless Skies, edited by Scott H. Andrews
Clarkesworld, edited by Neil Clarke, Jason Heller, Sean Wallace and Kate Baker
Lightspeed, edited by John Joseph Adams and Stefan Rudnicki
Strange Horizons, edited by Niall Harrison, Jed Hartman, Brit Mandelo, An Owomoyela, Julia Rios, Abigail Nussbaum, Sonya Taaffe, Dave Nagdeman and Rebecca Cross

1953 design by Jack McKnight, for the
10th Annual World Science Fiction
Convention in Chicago, IL.

Best Fanzine (370 ballots)
Banana Wings, edited by Claire Brialey and Mark Plummer
The Drink Tank, edited by Chris Garcia and James Bacon
Elitist Book Reviews, edited by Steven Diamond
Journey Planet, edited by James Bacon, Chris Garcia, Emma J. King, Helen J. Montgomery and Pete Young
SF Signal, edited by John DeNardo, JP Frantz, and Patrick Hester

Best Fancast (346 ballots)
The Coode Street Podcast, Jonathan Strahan and Gary K. Wolfe
Galactic Suburbia Podcast, Alisa Krasnostein, Alexandra Pierce, Tansy Rayner Roberts (Presenters) and Andrew Finch (Producer)
SF Signal Podcast, Patrick Hester, John DeNardo, and JP Frantz
SF Squeecast, Elizabeth Bear, Paul Cornell, Seanan McGuire, Lynne M. Thomas, Catherynne M. Valente (Presenters) and David McHone-Chase (Technical Producer)
StarShipSofa, Tony C. Smith

1951 Retro Hugo for Millenium
Philcon: Frank Kelly Freas's
Best Professional Artist award.
Design by Michael Benveniste.

Best Fan Writer (485 ballots)
James Bacon
Christopher J Garcia
Mark Oshiro
Tansy Rayner Roberts
Steven H Silver

Best Fan Artist (293 ballots)
Galen Dara
Brad W. Foster
Spring Schoenhuth
Maurine Starkey
Steve Stiles

John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer
(476 ballots)This is an award for the best new professional science fiction or fantasy writer of 2011 or 2012, sponsored by Dell Magazines (not a Hugo Award).
Zen Cho *
Max Gladstone
Mur Lafferty *
Stina Leicht *
Chuck Wendig *
*Finalists in their 2nd year of eligibility.

1996 “Retro” Hugo Trophy by Barry
Workman, Mike Donahue, and Shawn
Crosby, based on the 1946 Hugo trophy
design (identical except the film reel base was
copper-colored, and the 1946 film reel was
gold-colored).

The Hugo Awards are the premier award in the Science Fiction genre,
honoring Science Fiction literature and media as well as the genre's
fans. The Hugo Awards were first presented at the 1953 World Science
Fiction Convention in Philadelphia (Philcon II), and they have
continued to honor Science Fiction and Fantasy notables annually for
60 years.

Click here for more information about the Hugo Awards, including details about how to vote.

LoneStarCon 3 is the 71st World Science Fiction Convention.  It is scheduled to be held August 29 to September 2, 2013, in San Antonio, TX.

The 2013 Hugo Award and John W. Campbell Award winners will be announced Sunday, September 1, 2013, during the Hugo Awards Ceremony at LoneStarCon 3 in San Antonio, Texas.

The 2013 Worldcon will be held in San
Antonio, TX.

ABOUT THE WORLD SCIENCE FICTION CONVENTION
Founded in 1939, the World Science Fiction Convention ("Worldcon") is one of the largest international gatherings of authors, artists, editors, publishers and fans of science fiction and fantasy entertainment. The annual Hugo Awards, the leading award for excellence in the field of science fiction and fantasy, are voted on by Worldcon membership and presented during the convention.

LoneStarCon 3 is sponsored by ALAMO, Inc., (Alamo Literary Arts Maintenance Organization), a 501(c)(3) organization. For information about memberships or hotel accommodation, visit the Convention's website. 

"World Science Fiction Society," "WSFS," "World Science Fiction Convention," "Worldcon," "NASFiC," "Hugo Award," and the distinctive design of the Hugo Award Rocket are service marks of the World Science Fiction Society, an unincorporated literary society.

IMAGE CREDITS: See all of these trophies and more on the History page of the Hugo Awards website; many have more information about the designs.  For individual Hugo trophy images, see: 1976, 2012, 2011, 2009, 2007, 2003, 1953, 1951, 1996/1946.  The LoneStarCon 3 logo image is from the Worldcon website.

Heads-up for SF&F Literati

Yes, they did just meet.  But the next meeting is a week early, and it's time to find and start reading the May selection!

SF&F Literati go Into the Storm, in May!

Selection: Into the Storm, by Taylor Anderson
When: May 20 (third Monday!), 7:00 p.m.
Where: Oak Park Barnes & Noble Bookseller, 11323 W 95th Street
Overland Park, KS 66214, on the 2nd floor.

Order this book from Barnes & Noble, or other fine booksellers.

Overview from Barnes & Noble:

Pressed into service when World War II breaks out in the Pacific, the USS Walker, a Great War-era destroyer, finds itself retreating from pursuing Japanese battleships. 

Its captain, Lieutenant Commander Matthew Patrick Reddy, desperately leads the Walker into a squall, hoping it will give them cover, only to emerge into an alternate world. A world where two species have evolved: the cat-like Lemurians and the reptilian Griks, and they are at war.

With its power and weaponry, the Walker’s very existence could alter the balance of power. And for Reddy and his crew, who have the means to turn a primitive war into a genocidal Armageddon, one thing becomes clear. They must determine whose side they're on. Because whichever species they choose is the winner.

Note: there are four books in the “Destroyermen” series; this is Book 1.

IMAGE CREDIT: Many thanks to Taylor Anderson's website for the cover art.