chris_gerrib | Reading

Went back and set up the opening more.

Fortunately, I realized that the next stage of action can kick off immediately now. The drama was pent up.

james_davis_nicoll

The complete four-year run of TinyZine, the tabletop roleplaying magazine from Gallant Knight Games that supports the streamlined minimalist TinyD6 rules system.

Bundle of Holding: TinyZine

marycatelli

I essayed

james_davis_nicoll

What dire motivation drove beautiful, rich Tsuki to marry a pitiful wretch like Ryudo?

Steel of the Celestial Shadows, volume 1 by Daruma Matsuura (Translated by Caleb D. Cook)

marycatelli

I essayed

james_davis_nicoll

Sometimes organ donation is voluntary. Sometimes, people (or aliens) just take what they want.

Five SF Works About Repurposing Organs and Other Body Parts

james_davis_nicoll

A two-volume look at a prominent 20th century SF author.

Robert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue with His Century by William H. Patterson

marycatelli

I essayed

james_davis_nicoll

An assortment of tabletop roleplaying games from Gallant Knight Games that use the streamlined, minimalist TinyD6 rules.

Bundle of Holding: Tiny Dungeon MEGA (from 2023)

james_davis_nicoll

2010: Cadbury falls into shadow, electoral loss sends the Labour Party off on a delightful journey of reinvention, and millions of travelers spontaneously learn how to spell Eyjafjallajökull.

Poll #33506 Clarke Award Finalists 2010

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 32

View Respondents

Which 2010 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?

View Answers

The City & The City by China Miéville
32 (100.0%)

Far North by Marcel Theroux
0 (0.0%)

Galileo's Dream by Kim Stanley Robinson
6 (18.8%)

Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding
2 (6.2%)

Spirit or The Princess of Bois Dormant by Gwyneth Jones
0 (0.0%)

Yellow Blue Tibia by Adam Roberts
2 (6.2%)

Bold for have read, italic for intend to read, underline for never heard of it.

Which 2010 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?
The City & The City by China Miéville
Far North by Marcel Theroux
Galileo's Dream by Kim Stanley Robinson
Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding
Spirit or The Princess of Bois Dormant by Gwyneth Jones
Yellow Blue Tibia by Adam Roberts

james_davis_nicoll

Cut for size
( Read more... )

james_davis_nicoll

The 2025 Hugo, Lodestar, and Astounding Awards Winners are as follows

Best Novel: The Tainted Cup, Robert Jackson Bennett

Best Novella: The Tusks of Extinction, Ray Nayler

Best Novelette:"The Four Sisters Overlooking the Sea”, Naomi Kritzer

Best Short Story: “Stitched to Skin Like Family Is”, Nghi Vo

Best Series: Between Earth and Sky, Rebecca Roanhorse

Best Graphic Story or Comic: Star Trek: Lower Decks: Warp Your Own Way, written by Ryan North, art by Chris Fenoglio

Best Related Work: Speculative Whiteness: Science Fiction and the Alt-Right, Jordan S. Carroll

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: Dune: Part Two, screenplay by Denis Villeneuve & Jon Spaihts, directed by Denis Villeneuve

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form: Star Trek: Lower Decks: “The New Next Generation”, created and written by Mike McMahan, based on Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry, directed by Megan Lloyd

Best Game or Interactive Work: Caves of Qud, co-creators Brian Bucklew & Jason Grinblat; contributors Nick DeCapua, Corey Frang, Craig Hamilton, Autumn McDonell, Bastia Rosen, Caelyn Sandel, Samuel Wilson (Freehold Games); sound design A Shell in the Pit

Best Editor, Short Form:Neil Clarke

Best Editor, Long Form: Diana M. Pho

Best Professional Artist: Alyssa Winans

Best Semiprozine: Uncanny, publishers and editors-in-chief Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas; managing editor Monte Lin; poetry editor Betsy Aoki, podcast producers Erika Ensign & Steven Schapansky

Best Fanzine: Black Nerd Problems, editors William Evans & Omar Holmon

Best Fancast: Eight Days of Diana Wynne Jones, presented by Emily Tesh & Rebecca Fraimow

Best Fan Writer: Abigail Nussbaum

Best Fan Artist: Sara Felix

Best Poem: “A War of Words”, Marie Brennan

Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book: Sheine Lende, Darcie Little Badger

Astounding Award for Best New Writer: Moniquill Blackgoose

james_davis_nicoll

I found a new gumbo of eccentricity.

marycatelli

This week's prompt is:
abusive 🤕

Anyone can join, with a 50-word creative fiction vignette in the comments. Your vignette does not have to include the prompt term. Any (G or PG) definition of the word can be used.

james_davis_nicoll

Jim Baen's version of a single perfect issue of Baen-era Galaxy.

Galaxy: The Best of My Years by Jim Baen

marycatelli

I exclude saints, I invent saints, I include saints. . . and I give existing ones new patronages, too.

High fantasy Christian milieux have me having an interesting time with saints. Obviously I don't include Renaissance or later if the milieu is medieval-ish, and I tend to avoid ones within the era most closely equivalent.

But the other world would, no doubt, have other saints.

I think I should avoid putting the same imaginary saint into two different world, to avoid their being confused. Such is the logic of world-building.

marycatelli

Agatha Heterodyne, Girl Genius #21: An Entertainment in Londinium by Kaja Foglio and Phil Foglio

Spoilers ahead for the earlier volumes

( Read more... )

james_davis_nicoll

Ten books new to me: five fantasy, two mysteries, and three science fiction novels. Four are series books and the other six seem to be stand-alone.

Books Received, August 9 — August 15

Poll #33494 Books Received, August 9 - August 15

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 52

View Respondents

Which of these look interesting?

View Answers

Love Binds by Cynthia St. Aubin (December 2024
4 (7.7%)

Druid Cursed by C. J. Burright (October 2025)
3 (5.8%)

Hell’s Heart by Alexis Hall (March 2026)
12 (23.1%)

The Quiet Mother by Arnaldur Indridason (December 2025)
10 (19.2%)

Dark Matter by Kathe Koja (December 2025)
10 (19.2%)

Butterfly Effects by Seanan McGuire (March 2026)
14 (26.9%)

How to Get Away With Murder by Rebecca Philipson (February 2026)
7 (13.5%)

Cabaret in Flames by Hache Pueyo (March 2026)
5 (9.6%)

The Entanglement of Rival Wizards by Sara Raasch (August 2025)
12 (23.1%)

What We Are Seeking by Cameron Reed (April 2026)
23 (44.2%)

Some other option (see comments)
0 (0.0%)

Cats!
32 (61.5%)

james_davis_nicoll

will feature an idealistic would-be knight, an idealistic but extremely cynical town watch member, a 600-year-old wood elf who has a little magic and is terrible keen on progress as it applies to firearms, and an artisan who adheres to most dwarven stereotypes but is in fact a short human.

The knight is the only one who can read, and the elf is their best medic, in the sense they have a 50% chance of binding wounds, rather than under 40%.

After one session:

The knight is a killing machine, with poor social graces in his current context. Well, that isn't quite true: he knows courtly manners. He just doesn't think they apply in the Empire and is very irritated that the peasants keep making eye contact.

The artisan is a relentless engine of effort, quite good at hitting things with a hammer but not so good at dodging. However, unlike the knight, he didn't stay in melee range to get bit.

The elf has almost supernatural reflexes and situational awareness and is a crack shot... but the dice were not on their side.

The town watchman is oddly crap in combat to the point they wanted to sell their sword for something where if they missed, at least they weren't next to whatever they missed. They are, however, keen-eyed and socially adept.

Amusingly enough, had the elf examined the adorable girl who accosted them, their tiny knack for magic would have revealed the revenant was somehow magical... but they were the one person who didn't side-eye the dead girl as she led them into an ambush.

marycatelli

I essayed

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chris_gerrib

August 2025

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Page Summary

marycatelli - on the bright side
james_davis_nicoll - Bundle of Holding: TinyZine
marycatelli - The License And The Limits
james_davis_nicoll - Steel of the Celestial Shadows, volume 1 by Daruma Matsuura (Translated by Caleb D. Cook)
marycatelli - Faction, Fiction, Forces
james_davis_nicoll - Five SF Works About Repurposing Organs and Other Body Parts
james_davis_nicoll - Robert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue with His Century by William H. Patterson
marycatelli - Flaws, Memes, and Situations
james_davis_nicoll - Bundle of Holding: Tiny Dungeon MEGA (from 2023)
james_davis_nicoll - Clarke Award Finalists 2010
james_davis_nicoll - Found while looking for something else
james_davis_nicoll - 2025 Hugo, Lodestar, and Astounding Awards Winners
james_davis_nicoll - Thanks to Talk Origins
marycatelli - vignette
james_davis_nicoll - Galaxy: The Best of My Years by Jim Baen
marycatelli - inventing saints
marycatelli - Agatha Heterodyne, Girl Genius #21
james_davis_nicoll - Books Received, August 9 — August 15
james_davis_nicoll - Tonight's Warhammer The Old World Adventure
marycatelli - Keep On Wandering

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Page generated Aug. 21st, 2025 12:19 pm

Private Mars Rocket II

From The Mind of Chris Gerrib

Reading

on the bright side

Bundle of Holding: TinyZine

The License And The Limits

Steel of the Celestial Shadows, volume 1 by Daruma Matsuura (Translated by Caleb D. Cook)

Faction, Fiction, Forces

Five SF Works About Repurposing Organs and Other Body Parts

Robert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue with His Century by William H. Patterson

Flaws, Memes, and Situations

Bundle of Holding: Tiny Dungeon MEGA (from 2023)

Clarke Award Finalists 2010

Found while looking for something else

2025 Hugo, Lodestar, and Astounding Awards Winners

Thanks to Talk Origins

vignette

Galaxy: The Best of My Years by Jim Baen

inventing saints

Agatha Heterodyne, Girl Genius #21

Books Received, August 9 — August 15

Tonight's Warhammer The Old World Adventure

Keep On Wandering

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August 2025

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