SF SiteThe new issue of the SF Site is now online.Brave New Words: The Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction edited by Jeff Prucher- July 16, 2007 Science fiction is a language. Not just a vocabulary, all those funny words that can make newcomers to the genre run away screaming, but a grammar, a syntax, a set of perspectives and attitudes entailed by the words and structure of the fiction that is simply untranslatable to some readers. A dictionary, as lexicographers from Dr. Johnson down have discovered, doesn't just codify the language, it can help to understand its structure and history. A dictionary of science fiction, therefore, seems.http://www.sfsite.com/07b/bn252.htm The Hellraiser Films and Their Legacy by Paul Kane- July 16, 2007 "We have such sights to show you." Chilling words from one of the most haunting, gruesome and enduring horror series ever filmed. Through the decades, there have been horror icons, from Bela Lugosi's Dracula up through Robert Englund's Freddy Krueger. But never have there been such grotesquely visceral yet strangely alluring creations as Clive Barker's Cenobites, their leader Pinhead and the denizens of the Hellraiser universe.http://www.sfsite.com/07b/hr252.htm Overlooked or Over-hyped -- a column by Neil Walsh- July 16, 2007 Can there be such a thing as too many books Lately Neil has been feeling he has too many unread books. But is that really too many books, or simply not enough time Or is it just poor planning. Some of the books on his shelves have been waiting for years to be read and he claims to really want to read them next. How to prioritize He's still working on that. Meanwhile, he has some thoughts on Watership Down by Richard Adams and Pirates of the Universe by Terry Bisson.http://www.sfsite.com/columns/over252.htm The Electric Church by Jeff Somers- July 16, 2007 Unification into the System of Federated Nations has divided the world's population into a tiny number of haves, and a great unwashed sea of have-nots, policed by the System Security Force, and local cops. The resultant urban turmoil has left Old New York, a sprawl of grubby, trashed buildings and grubby, trashed people. One of these is Avery Cates, a security expert, sometime bodyguard, and assassin-for-hire. Avery knows his days are numbered -- unless something big happens to change things.http://www.sfsite.com/07b/ec252.htm Vintage: A Ghost Story by Steve Berman- July 16, 2007 One night while walking down a deserted highway in September, our protagonist sees a handsome boy who is wearing a 50s costume, or is it a costume We soon discover that he is the ghost of an athlete who met his death years before, and the town has known about this ghost walking the highway since 1957. But for the first time, Josh, the ghost, leaves the highway and follows someone, and even speaks to him.http://www.sfsite.com/07b/vi252.htm New Arrivals compiled by Neil Walsh- July 16, 2007 Some of our latest arrivals here at the SF Site office include new and forthcoming novels from the likes of William Gibson, Naomi Novik, Matthew Hughes, Tom Lloyd, and Scott Lynch, a novella from Forrest Aguirre, a first novel from Christopher Barzak, a new collection from Jay Lake, a new edition of classic Harlan Ellison stories, and a new translation of Poland's Andrzej Sapkowski. Summertime reading ought to be good this year.http://www.sfsite.com/books/new252.htm Babylon 5.1: TV reviews by Rick Norwood- July 16, 2007 Rick offers his thoughts on the Dr. Who episode "Smith and Jones," the episode of Eureka titled "Phoenix Rising" and the episode of The 4400 "Try the Pie."http://www.sfsite.com/columns/rick252.htm BSI Starside: Death Sentence by Roger MacBride Allen- July 16, 2007 The problems for Senior Special Agent Hannah Wolfson, and her partner, Jamie Mendez, begin when another Special Agent, Trip Wilcox is found dead in his small spaceship. Wilcox had been on a diplomatic mission, conveying a document from the alien Metrannan back to Earth. The document has been found, but the key to decoding the encryption is gone, and there is reason to suspect that Wilcox was murdered, but not before he found a way to hide the key.http://www.sfsite.com/07b/ds252.htm The SFWA European Hall of Fame edited by James and Kathryn Morrow- July 16, 2007 Every few years, American editors seems to rediscover that there is science fiction beyond the borders of the United States. When this happens, collections appear spotlighting the work of Australian, or Canadian, or European science fiction authors. The latest rediscovery has now been made under the auspices of the SFWA and has resulted in this anthology of sixteen short stories by European authors representing thirteen linguistic traditions.http://www.sfsite.com/07b/eh252.htm Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: a movie review by Rick Norwood- July 16, 2007 The latest Harry Potter film is a solid, satisfying dark fantasy. Maybe it is a hair less good than the preceding film, but we have been lucky so far. None of the Harry Potter films have suffered from the kind of series-itus seen in most of this Summer's blockbusters. Even the critics are coming around, setting aside their distaste for anything popular and granting that the Harry Potter films might be entertaining.http://www.sfsite.com/07b/hp252.htm |