An Odyssey of Dreams

Wiscon was not what I expected. Much like rosefox, I'd heard "Readercon, only bigger" and expected it to be that.

On the other hand, I did adapt enough to have a good time. Seeing people was wonderful, and probably the highlight of the trip. Met mroctober for longer than 15 minutes, and he had no idea who I was. Saw matociquala and truepenny at the Gathering, buymeaclue, nihilistic_kid around here and there, ellen_kushner and deliasherman flitting like busy butterflies to and fro, sdn after her second panel, wherein we had a brief chat about fanfic, and blackholly when she crawled out of bed recovering from whatever bug she had. Met grahamsleight and desayunoencama, as well as Maureen McHugh and her lovely spouse. Learned a lot.

Heard people diss the Kushiel trilogy on multiple levels, which was highly entertaining, as they expressed most of the problems I had with the book aside from the massive culture rape.

Cleaned up nicely for the parties, and had the joy of Doyle walking around in leather pants (which prompted grailquestion and yuki_onna to explain to justbeast that he needs to obtain a pair), and generally hung around parties. Parties were not what I expected - entirely too much standing around and chatting and not enough, well, partying. When we came down to say goodbye to people on Sunday night there was a dance party going on, and that was great - I wish we could have stayed.

Monday was entirely a day of travel. We planned our England trip from Midway airport and panicked about having two days to do it in. We've mostly accomplished the task now, though. All packed and stuff, and off to England at 10pm Eastern.

I do have panel notes, and I do want to write them up, but I'm not sure I'll have the time before we leave. In that case, they'll wait until I get back.

Did I mention that I read books? Well, I did. Fiction, even! I read Valiant on the plane to Chicago, Vintage and the ARC of So Fey at the con, finishing the former on the plane to Atlanta, then The Theif by Megan Whalen Turner on the plane back. queenofthorns reviewed the series some time ago, so when I saw the first two in paperback I snagged them up. Gen certainly hooked me, so I read The Queen of Attolia yesterday, and pre-ordered The King of Attolia paperback, which comes out June 12th. I've packed a bunch more to go, and hopefully I'll have time to write about them more after we return. I'm so happy to be reading fiction again!

Also, justbeast asked meaningful questions about Glamour, and prompted me to crack open the Honour draft. It's not as bad as I feared, which is almost always the case. I'm truly looking forward to beginning the revisions to the first book when I get back from England, now. Just a reminder, that if you want to help critique it, answer this poll.

( Fantasy & Fables: Fantasy in Graphic Novel Form )

I was going to write up George R. R. Martin's reading, but someone else did it better right here.

( The Fantastic and the Mundane: A Look at Urban Fantasy )

Next up, Sunday!

Small Sci-Fi/Fantasy cons are extremely lonely to attend on one's own, particularly if they're very sparce on programming they offer. As a result of these observations, though I enjoyed meeting Sharyn November (sdn) and Guy Gavriel Kay, I'm extremely doubtful as to my attendance of Vericon should it coincide with the Fetish Fair Fleamarket and more people want to go to that.

Dreadfully lonely. It will be nice to go to Boskone with yuki_onna, my friend N, and others.

That's not to say I had a bad time. I'm extremely pleased to have met Guy Kay and to have had the chance to warble at him about how The Lions of Al-Rassan is one of my favorite books ever. (We also discussed my RL name. His mother's family, apparently, is originally from Ukraine, round about Kiev.) And the advance purchase of Ysabel, awesome.

Sharyn, too, was an absolute dream. She was so pleased to hear about how Firebirds is the book that made me love the short story, and we spoke for a bit about deliasherman's next Neef book (I mentioned that "Cotillion" was my favorite Delia short story).

I also attended the panel on action (and missed the one on culture due to the Guy Kay signing and blueness that was only abated by a hot chocolate from Finale - buymeaclue, nihilistic_kid, see what you've done?), where people spoke very intelligently about motion and scene and choreography, and a bit about the Ramayana. There was a good discussion of how action has become very cinematographic (is that a word?) in writing due to fild and television. Also, video games. There was a great deal of fatalism about all the POV shifts and quick cuts, but people also intelligently discussed the way a fight (or sex) scene has to pull its weight in the story by advancing the narrative or the characters or both. The example used was out of The Princess Bride; Inigo Montoya's fight with the Dread Pirate Roberts atop the Cliffs of Despair.

The Guest of Honor speech cheered me immensely, though. Kay offered a "partial defense of fantasy as a mode of fiction." He pointed out that all good fiction is escapism, it's a function of the act of storytelling. He added that his primary goal was always to keep a reader up to 3AM. And that beach reading serves a purpose - it's difficult to read challenging fiction in 15 minute instalments (which I will agree with - Ursula Le Guin and my trips to and from work shouldn't have mixed). He asserts, and I agree, that fantasy fiction has the capacity to be as important, moving, and thought-provoking as the finest stuff you're going to find out there. Moreso, even, as it can tap into myth and legend and bring universal truth home the way historical fiction won't necessarily because it's easy for people to assume you're writing about that one time in that one place. In other words, fantasy allows for the universality of a story and lets the timeless themes shine through.

It helps that he was incredibly funny (and punny). When he didn't wish to engage in discussion of a theme right then, he offered that after the speech whoever did could take him out to the bar and "take his best shot while [Kay] took [his] best shot." There are apparently plans in the works to bring The Last Light of the Sun to a movie theatre near you, and there's a third project for high-end television he can't talk about yet.

All in all? Good stuff. Needs better timing. And more people.

Well, it was my first Arisia, and I wouldn't be terribly surprised if it were my last. We had fun, doubly so as I managed to drag Doyle out to the con and we met interesting people, but there are only so many ways the Universe has to scream "not your kind of party!" before I wrap my head around that.

( Quick Rundown. )

Later we went home and ordered Thai food. I wanted to wear the corset until mrsix showed up, but I lay down and my lower back went into a spasm. The last bit was no fun at all - we had to get the corset off, and get my electric stim unit, and justbeast gave me a quick massage that helped, but in the end, I was basically immobile for the rest of the evening. People ate and left, and more people came by, and left. I read some Orphan's Tales, though that was bad of me because Doyle & I are supposed to be reading them aloud.

Now I'm at work, but I get to leave early for my chiro appointment and massage at 3. I just need to revive myself to get some work done before that point.

Apparently all the talk of slash and yaoi annoyed matociquala away from reading reviews. Which is a shame, I think, because I believe in positive reinforcement. And this might be my favorite of her books to date.

I'll try not to let the OMG!SQUEEEE!!! and drool overrun as I type, but no promises.

I wasn't going to get Carnival until after the New Year. With my habitual lack of faith in the library system (Actually not true, I think libraries are great. I just don't think they work well for me.) I've come to rely heavily on the kindness of strangers and my Discover card to provide me with Borders and B&N gift cards which allow me to buy books without compromising my ability to pay rent. And the holiday season is a time when bookstore gift cards are showered in my general direction because people (my family) understand that one of the greatest gifts they can give me is the license to prance around a bookstore and actually get to pick out things that I can take home with me. And other people may be stumped beyond the knowledge that "She likes books. And biology. But we can't really get her biology. And we're not too sure on what kind of books she likes." mrsix is an exception, but he rocks like a rocking thing. (Sorry, tangent.)

Anyway, I was going to wait until I had accumulated a nice pile of gift cards before making the book purchases that would hopefully tide me over the next semester. But given the slash debate (on which I am not taking sides), I was intrigued enough to go read Amazon and see if I could find more reviews. And then I stumbled on the Exerpt.

Well, shit. There went that plan. Frantically I search for a bookstore in the general area, only to find they're all way out of my way. Annoying, but then it turns out that Doyle's doing some last-minute holiday shopping in the neighborhood of one store that says it has it. Yay! On the sixth night of Hanukkah my boyfriend gave to me....

It is somewhat amusing to realize just how much Bear's writing style (at least on the sci-fi end) appeals to my brain. Or maybe it's just training. Hammered took me a bit to really get into, it was on my second try that I actually did. Scardown was a race between myself and my dad (the last time I bring something he might want to read as my first book for a family vacation), and by the time I picked up Worldwired it was such a smooth transition I don't think I noticed. Much like Vincent hitting his stride, Carnival and I just clicked the moment I read that exerpt.

That's at least partly due to the fact that Our Heroes were giving off enough sexual and other tension to drive me up a wall. You read "Chapter One" and bang! here comes conflict. I love it.

Have I mentioned just how much I love the fact that Bear's protagonists are, as a rule, over the age of 50? It gives so much more to the plot - in wisdom, in knowledge, in experience and depth. When you say "these people were lovers who were separated" that doesn't mean "they had one or two screws and went their separate ways" but "they maintained a secret relationship for over 20 years before they were forced apart for 17." So much more history, so much more at stake. It explains everything from how well they work together to how much weight on their shoulders they're both carrying.

It is a love story. Without a single "I love you," without weepy dramatic sex, without things that may look fine to a romance writer but generally make me want to spork my eyes out in the cold light of day. (There is sex; it's not weepy.) It's difficult to describe just how the way Vincent and Angelo are presented together appeals to me, except to say that as I've grown, I've encountered the fact that love is like this. That no matter how much you love, there are things you will not sacrifice, or forsake for the fear of no longer being yourself. That the thought of giving something so precious up would terrify and hurt you, but to do the morally wrong thing would simply destroy you. And these two are the best example of it I ever read.

To put simpler, their love is not hearts and flowers. It's pain, and lies, and ( spoiler )

But the book cannot stand on its own with just the two of them. Ultimately, as much as it is about Vincent and Angelo's relationship, it is also about New Amazonia, about New Earth and Ur, and the OECC (which we never actually see, so that's pretty darn impressive), about Lesa and how far you will go to give your children the best chance you can, about cultures taken to the extreme, and about the lies we tell ourselves to live.

Pretty impressive, no? Throw in all that physics (I'm pretty sure one round of research on superstring theory will keep on giving as far as Bear's writing goes), ( more spoiler ), espionage and intrigue, a bit of art, and you get an incredible book.

When I first met Elizabeth Bear, I told her that I, traditionally, had a hard time reading science fiction. Not entirely true when I think back to my childhood - Verne was on top of the list - but generally true when I open an Asimov novel. I suspect that in this "deficiency" I am far from alone. I told her that what really made me care about the story was character driving plot driving character development. Perhaps that's why this novel works so well for me.

I do have some quibbles, though. I'm not sure if one of them isn't just an error in printing, but one is a small plot point that's never addressed. It doesn't detract from the story, but if I'm giving a full review, it feels right to note that as much as I love it, it's not a perfect book.

I should be working, but people are frustrating me by being unclear as to how many resources I have to finish my experiments, so I'll just update instead.

Life continues, and I'm still in love with grad school to an unholy degree, despite surviving a rather unpleasant two weeks work-wise, all things considered. I did well on my exam, and general well in my other class, so life's not too shabby.

lodessa was here last week, so we did typical New England things like apple picking, typical girlie things like watching the second part of Pride and Prejudice (the BBC version) when I had a really bad day, and typical fandom things like writing Veronica Mars meta. We might even get our act together enough to post it when she gets back to her coast. The P&P had the unexpected side-effect that Doyle's interested in going as Mr. Darcy for Halloween, which I'm totally all for.

lodessa also read the current (let's say 1.3ish) draft of Glamour and gave me feedback I'd not heard before - like how the chapter I think sucks rocks is actually fairly suspenseful, and how I need to make Our Heroine more accessible in the latter parts of the novel. (To be fair to my other editors - I'd not heard that yet 'cause they hadn't gotten that far.) Also, she said the pacing was good, and that's possibly the best thing I'd heard on the subject. We spent the car ride to the train station dissecting, and I'm really excited to go and edit things more... when I have the time. Thanksgiving, maybe?

( TV Watching - VM, Dr. Who, BSG, B5, and why Buffy isn't the best thing since sliced bread - why is sliced bread so cool, anyway? )

Due to the latest friending meme, I have acquired quite a few new readers. *Waves hi.* Don't be shy, join right in.

A few bits of information that May Come In Handy:

1. I will discuss real life but rarely in this journal, as it began as an escape from a very stressful job situation and has continued to be my haven for things of fannish squee, original writing, and general things most of my RL friendslist wouldn't be interested in. I do keep an RL journal - and have kept it for some 4 years now - and if you're really interested, I'd be glad to friend you on that one. Just leave a comment and let me know.

2. In addition to blathering about fan things at length and odd points in time, I am currently editing the first draft of the first YA urban fantasy novel I've ever written, Glamour, and writing the second, Honour, but slowly. I suffer no illusion that everyone on my friendslist would care for these posts - as quite a few people have friended me for unrelated things. If you would like to read about my writing/editing process in general, and when the time comes read what is most likely to be the second or third draft of these works and provide constructive criticism and/or cheerleading, please answer the poll here, or leave a comment on this entry saying so.

3. Also, some of my earlier original work (and I can't seem to complete fanfiction to save my life) is housed here, at Gather.com. I am a concrit nut, and am always desperately happy to receive any. You need to have an account at Gather to participate in discussion there, but you could always leave a comment on an entry in my LJ or e-mail me at delinka at gmail dot com. If you do wish an account, one's easy to set up and if you ask me for an invite I get B&N gift cards. ;) More seriously, it is a good website with a bent toward adult publication and debate, and it rewards members for participation by sharing a portion of it's advertising revenue.

4. Other original fiction and art is scattered throughout this journal under friendslock. I have a set of links to various tags in the sidebar, for convenience.

5. Currently I have a lot of free time, and this journal receives a great deal of my attention. At the end of this month I'll be starting a very intensive grad program in the biological sciences (have your eyes glazed over yet?), and consequently my free time will go down the tubes. I don't know if it will impact my journaling overall, but it will definitely decline in times of exams and such.

Please keep your legs and arms inside the vehicle, and enjoy the ride. ;)

Thank you all for your good wishes!

I got up at 8AM and drove to the UPS pick-up center, where they only had my first package. But it had Elizabeth Bear & Sarah Monette's latest offerings within, so I grabbed it and ran back home, and dived under the covers to resume my reading of The Virtu (having read the first 4 chapters online). And I consumed the thing. I read it while I waited for people to call, and plans to be made, my other two packages to arrive (which they did!) and people to wake up. I read it while on my way to my birthday not-so-surprise, and finished just as we pulled into the parking garage. And it was good. I was a bit worried that having had such hype about it, it might have let me down, but no, it just continued to rock. Yes, there were flaws, and if I ever see truepenny again - and boy is it tempting to go to WorldCon now - I'd love to talk to her about it. But the characters stayed true to themselves while weaving a brilliant plot between their flaws and love and I just wanted to hug Mildmay. Lots. There shall be a real review later, and it shall be good.

The rest of the birthday was awesome. There was Mohegan Sun and my winning at blackjack tables, dinner with lots of friends and some family (brother-in-law and sister, who completely messed with my head while I was trying to figure out where we were going), and general fun.

And I got a hottie bear.

Now I return to grand old Boston to watch the end of a World Cup semi-final, eat Thai, and read some more. Three way tie between Blood and Iron, The Lies of Locke Lamora, and His Majesty's Dragon. We'll see who triumphs.

But not for long. For tomorrow, the Glamour edits start.

I strongly dislike animated icons as a rule. I tell you this, dear people, so that you will understand how seriously geeked I am when I say the following:

I absolutely need to find/make/get someone with more talent to construct an animated icon of Ivanova, White Stars, and the ships out of "Into the Fire" (4x06), which says "My White Star brings all the First Ones to the yard."

Thank you, and good night!