Fuzzy Nation: A Review

6/6/2011 Carl V. Anderson 38 Comments

Fuzzy Nation ~John Scalzi

–published 2011
–Tor Books
–301 pages
–9/10 stars

Evil corporations stripping planets bare of their natural resources all in the pursuit of wealth. Cute, cuddly creatures who turn out to be smarter than they first appear. A charming rogue torn between his own self-interest and the greater good. Multiple ecosystems in peril.

What’s that?

You say you’ve heard that all before?

If you are thinking that it all sounds familiar, you may be right.

Perhaps George Lucas’ teddy bears..er, Ewoks…sprang to mind, or the blue-skinned Navi from James Cameron’s Avatar. Or perhaps that all sounds familiar because you have read Little Fuzzy, the 1962 classic that provided the inspiration for John Scalzi’s latest novel. Whatever the case may be, I promise you that John Scalzi is a whiz at paying loving homage to science fiction classics while giving a contemporary kick-in-the-pants to well worn sf tropes. The result is a book that rekindles that excitement you felt when your older brother, best friend, neighborhood librarian (or in my case, uncle) handed you that first science fiction novel and said, “Here, try this.”

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Book Reviews, Nonfiction

On the Way to Other Country

6/1/2011 Carl V. Anderson 21 Comments

On the Way to Other Country ~C.W. Gusewelle

–published 2001
–Kansas City Star Books
–355 pages
–9/10

I doubt that there are many people alive who have not been overtaken, on certain gray days of the spirit, by a sense of the futility of words.

~C.W. Gusewelle

The steady blinking of the cursor on open white space is keeping perfect rhythm with the steady beat in my head–“I don’t know what to write. I don’t know what to write.”… C.W. Gusewelle is ever so right. On some days it feels like an exercise in futility to put fingers to keyboard in order to get the words out. I don’t make it a habit of reviewing everything I read. My intentions are good, but there are days when I am weighed down with too much to do and others in which I cannot drum up enough inspiration to do a book review justice (either for good or ill) regardless of my feelings after closing that final page. Yet there are some books that just cry out to be reviewed, especially a decade after they are published when they are perhaps more forgotten than they should be. On the Way to Other Country is one such book and so I will press on, endeavoring to inject my words with some of the emotions sparked by reading this book, both to myself and at times aloud to my wife and child.

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Aging Gracefully

6/1/2011 Carl V. Anderson 33 Comments

Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many.

~Author Unknown

A long–very long–day, much longer for the woman than for the man. Waiting, wondering, praying, and then a flurry of activity, a sharp cry, and a child is born. That was nearly two decades ago, nineteen years as of 8:11 p.m. this evening to be exact. Despite the ol’ wives’ tales and superstitious predictions, despite even the doctor’s certainty, the man knew his heart’s desire would be answered–and he was correct, the child was a girl. He never could settle on a boy’s name through all those nine months of waiting and wondering. He always knew he would be getting a baby girl. And though certain of the girl’s name first name before her arrival, sentimentality provided a different middle name in the final hour.

Our daughter turns 19 years old today. If that seems impossible to any of you, imagine what it must be like for her parents who on occasion feel as if they are just young kids playing at house. She is aging beautifully–her parents are being forced to age gracefully. She is three credit hours shy of her Associate of Arts Degree. Her whole life remains before her. Two decades of the bliss and heartache of childhood and adolescence will give way to the hope of future decades in which she may see her own child, or children, enter this world with the same waiting and wonder that marked her arrival. Only then will she begin to understand the pride that her parents feel.

Happy Birthday Tori Nicole, we love you dearly.

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Facelift

5/30/2011 Carl V. Anderson 90 Comments

(Photo credit: JoopDorresteijn)

“Change is inevitable – except from a vending machine.”

~Robert C. Gallagher

It should come as no surprise to any of you that change is not something that I particularly enjoy. Benjamin Franklin said that the only certainties were death and taxes. Obviously B. Frank didn’t live long enough to have visited my blog over the last several years. If he had, it would have been a pretty good bet that he would have added a third item to that list of certainties: death, taxes, and the Stainless Steel Droppings blog theme never changing. For a forty-something who blogs regularly–*cough*—and loves playing the latest console games (as just a few examples of my hipness), I have steadfastly refused to change the look of my site or to embrace the social media that has enhanced, and in some cases replaced, blogging.

Ladies and gentlemen, the times they are a-changin’.

But more than just an introduction to an updated website, this post is about the person who is responsible for the changes. My good friend, and many times mentor, James Dibben.

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book news

Grab Bag

5/28/2011 Carl V. Anderson 16 Comments

Subterranean Press is one of my favorite specialty presses. On occasion they offer “grab bag” specials in which they release slightly damaged material for an incredibly significant discount. These grab bags can include signed and limited editions as well as second or third printings. My friend Jeff contacted me during Subterranean’s most recent grab bag offer and we decided to go halves on the 11 book grab bag option. The package arrived quickly and in fantastic condition and on a recent Wednesday night Jeff came by so that we could open up the box together to see just what we got.

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Eclectic Musings of a Renaissance Geek