Curiosities: Author Interviews

     The choice this weekend was between Up cartoon by Pixar or the horror flick called Drag Me to Hell. Drag Me to Hell won the draw and is, if you like horror movies, definitely worth seeing. While I recommend the flick, this post is about one of the adds that came before the movie. It was a short documentary by Honda about what the year 2088 will look like. Honda, being as ingenious as they are, wisely decided to interview some of the masters of predicting the future: science fiction authors!  

     Ben Bova and Orson Scott Card (one of OnlytheBestSciFi/Fantasy's voted top ten authors) had some pretty nifty things to say about the year 2088, and the short documentary is really well done, so if you have seven minutes, make sure to watch it. Also Included in the documentary were Scott Balton, a Lead Researcher over at NASA, and Darel Preble, from the ambitious Solar Space Institute. Enjoy!

Bona Fide: Weekly Roundup #22

Welcome back to my weekly roundup.
Again and again, I'm surprised at how fast a week goes by. Now let's start......

MOVIES

Do you V? No, I am not asking for the twenty second letter in the modern Latin alphabet, nor for V for Vendetta film. I wanted to hear an answer like this: "V!? Yes, there was an amazing series aired on NBC in the 80's. It was the continuation of a science fiction franchise also known as THE VISITORS." Get ready for it, because ABC decided to remake V. To be honest I always have concerns when I hear or read about remakes. In this case, it's the other way round. I watched some episodes from the 80's series on video-cassette. This was at the end of the 80's, well before DVD brightened our lives. Compared to the original series, the trailer of the remake is really mouth-watering. Check out the V - upfront trailer below:


BLOGOSPHERE

As you may have noticed the number of blogs related to SciFi/Fantasy is still growing, while some of them are not maintained any longer. In order not to get lost in the wild wild web, I searched for some help and advice. I found Reviewer Time: The Official Blog Post!! Harry Markov aka Daydream started to review blogs! So far he reviewed four blogs and if you want more information about blogs, I highly recommend to read these reviews. And the good thing is, there willbe more blog reviews in future!

Larry from OF Blog of the Fallen shared his thoughts about the "Essay: On Book Review Blogs" by Charles Tan over at Bibliophile Stalker. If you want more information and thoughts about changes of blogs then read it. And take part in the discussion by posting your thoughts.

John from Grasping of the Wind has an ongoing post under the tag Inside The Blogosphere which I really appreciate. For this week edition he asked several reviewers about Authors of note, without noteriety.
The answers are like finding a lost treasure. I discovered great "old" authors which are new to me.

GAMES

In a time long long ago, (before I started to follow blogs and so on) I played a lot of PC- and Console games.
I enjoyed games like SIM CITY, ZELDA, MARIO, OBLIVION, MORROWIND, ARCANUM and ANNO.
Anno is a series of several strategy games developed by Germany-based Sunflowers Interactive Entertainment Software company. So far ANNO 1602, ANNO 1503, ANNO 1701 have been released for PC. ANNO 1701 : Dawn of Discovery has been released for Nintendo DS. Nowadays, I prefer to play in front of the TV instead on a handheld or a PC. Therefore I'm really happy that based on the new upcoming ANNO 1404 PC version a Wii and NINTENDO DS has been developed. The German WII version is available under title ANNO - Erschaffe eine neue Welt. The English version titled Dawn of Discovery will be released in June 2009.
Now you ask yourself why the hell does this naughty guy fill us with gossip about video games. The answer is quite simple. On Wednesday this week I couldn't wait any longer and I bought ANNO for Wii. And I have no regrets about it. The controls work well, the graphics are a bit comic, due to the limits of the Wii. More importantly, they ported the game mechanism from PC to WII in a great way. Anyway, I am really enjoying it so far.
Please read the IGN game review. They explain a lot better than me why ANNO for Wii is a great game.
After so many words you need a video. Enjoy the ANNO trailer below.


BOOKS

In 2009 I read one of the best books in my life so far: The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruis Zafon. I bought and read the book based on Aidan's review. I'm still grateful for this. There are a lot more reviews available. Google "The Shadow of the Wind Carlos Ruiz Zafon review" and you get 31,500 hits! Incredible! Now, I am looking forward to reading his next book: The Angel's Game. Instead of a review link you get a book trailer:



John from Grasping of the Wind has an interesting category on his blog called Inside the Blogosphere.
The edition of this week contains the answers from several reviewers to the topic Authors of note, without noteriety. It is worth reading. I discovered "old" authors which are new to me.


ADVICE

When you read a post like this one you are interested in books. And I estimate you are a well-read person. As we all know we can't read everything. So what do you do when you attend an event - party, meeting, whatever - and people start to discuss books you don't know? The simple answer is LIE.
But how to lie about books in an educated way?
Read How to Lie About Books by Jason Henninger. CAUTION - you can catch the giggles...

Memorial Day

     Memorial day, in America, is a time to pay tribute to soldiers that have fallen in war. For our international readers, Memorial Day began in the wake of the American civil war, and was later expanded to recognize all soldiers that have fallen in combat. Typically, the members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars accept donations for poppy flowers, a blossom that attained its significance during World War One through a moving poem by John McCrae (1872-1918), entitled In Flanders Field:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved, and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

     I think it is important to understand that regardless of political affiliation or one's opinions of American foreign policy, Memorial Day is meant as a simple yet heartfelt tribute to those who served their country, and gave the last full measure of their devotion. In the spirit of memorial day, I am inclined to have you take a look at The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman. The novel, above all else, is a meaningful tribute to those who have fallen, and while it criticizes the origins of war, it has nothing but respect for those who have braved its bloody struggles.

Bona Fide: Weekly Roundup #21

I would like to introduce our newest contributor to Only The Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy: ediFanoB. As I am sure many of you know, he is a great enthusiast of the science fiction and fantasy blogosphere, an avid reader, and a prolific poster. Playing to the admirable amount of time he spends reading our blogs, I asked him to do a weekly roundup of everything he found noteworthy, whether it be news, reviews, or snakiness. And remember, he loves comments! Without further ado, I give you ediFanoB and his certified weekly roundup:

Now I should introduce myself. Mmmmh, ähhhh, mmhhh, .... I don't want to bore you just at the beginning. I have an idea: In case you really want to get more information about me than take the opportunity and read Reader Appreciation Interview - Edifanob from 5th of March ......... I warned you before!

AWARDS

Do you know the most democratic fantasy award, where only voters decide who will win? No? Then it's high time you visit The David Gemmell Legend Award and vote!

"The DGLA will be presented for the very first time in 2009 for the best Fantasy novel of 2008. The award will be given to a work written in the 'spirit' of the late, great David Gemmell, a true Master of Heroic Fantasy." In case you don't know what to read next, just check out the FINAL DGLA Longlist 2008.

MOVIES

This week two films that will be released during 2009 aroused my interest:

9 by Shane Acker. For additional information look at 9 (2009 film).
If you love movies like Coraline and Corpse Bride then you won't be disappointed. Check out the new 9 trailer below:

Probably the most famous fictional detective in literary history is Sherlock Holmes. I still like the old black and white movies starring Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Doctor Watson. This year we will get a special Christmas gift from Guy Ritchie: A new Sherlock Holmes movie starring Robert Downey Jr. as Holmes and Jude Law as Watson. Check out the trailer below:

For me it is like Sherlock Holmes refreshed. I had the same perception when I watched the Star Trek Movie by J.J. Abrams.

BOOKS

So, as stated, I'm a fan of Sherlock Holmes. What do you think about an investigator in a steampunk world? When I read the first reviews of The Affinity Bridge by George Mann I was keen to read it. And to be honest I really liked it. And I wanted more! Fortunately there will be more. Snowbooks signs Mann for six !!
Thanks to Gav from NextRead for the link. George Mann gets gorgeous covers for his books. The next book in the series will be The Osiris Ritual (paperback release in September 2009).
Anyway, here is a great opportunity to discover George Mann. You can get his short story The Shattered Teacup for free either in pdf format or as mp3.

I read a lot of fantasy, but from time to time I need a book that goes beyond fantasy. Most of the time the main characters are male and young. But in 2008 I discovered a series with which I fell in love immediately: Gladdy Gold series by Rita Lakin. Gladdy Gold and her girlfriends live in Fort Lauderdale. That's nothing special. They start to work as private investigators. Still not that special. None of them is younger than 75! That's special. I laughed out loud when I read the first book. It is such a fluffy read with a great sense of humor. Ever read about a rollator race in a shopping mall? Or can you imagine a car full of old ladies out for a whole night of surveillance? Since I started reading these books I'm less afraid of getting older. I look forward to the release of book six Getting Old is Tres Dangereux in November 2009.

OTHER

Since beginning of the week my google reader is exploding. Of course I follow a lot of blogs. But every day more than 80 new items are being posted! What is going on? It must be the influence of spring. Or do you have another idea why the hell people are posting so much lately.

Have a terrific weekend and enjoy reading...