• Re: Nebula finalists 2010

    From Chris Buckley@21:1/5 to James Nicoll on Mon Nov 18 15:04:54 2024
    On 2024-11-18, James Nicoll <jdnicoll@panix.com> wrote:

    2010! Travellers learn how to pronounce "Eyjafjallajokull", Britain's
    Liberal Democrats secure their position in history by forming a
    coalition with the Conservatives, and the International Space Station
    sets a record for the longest continuous human occupation of space.

    Which 2010 Nebula Finalist Novels Have You Read?

    The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
    Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
    Finch by Jeff VanderMeer
    Flesh and Fire by Laura Anne Gilman
    The City & The City by China Mieville
    The Love We Share Without Knowing by Christopher Barzak

    I read the Bacigalupi (which I hated and which kept its publisher
    afloat for years), the Priest and the Mieville

    I read the Mieville (quite good) and the Bacigalupi, which is a
    Favorite! Different strokes for different folks (I regard it as
    excellent magic realism and James regards it as bad hard sf - both
    are at least somewhat true, IMO).

    Nothing shorter once again.
    Chris

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From James Nicoll@21:1/5 to All on Mon Nov 18 14:42:16 2024
    2010! Travellers learn how to pronounce "Eyjafjallajokull", Britain's
    Liberal Democrats secure their position in history by forming a
    coalition with the Conservatives, and the International Space Station
    sets a record for the longest continuous human occupation of space.

    Which 2010 Nebula Finalist Novels Have You Read?

    The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
    Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
    Finch by Jeff VanderMeer
    Flesh and Fire by Laura Anne Gilman
    The City & The City by China Mieville
    The Love We Share Without Knowing by Christopher Barzak

    I read the Bacigalupi (which I hated and which kept its publisher
    afloat for years), the Priest and the Mieville


    Which 2010 Nebula Finalist Novellas Have You Read?

    The Women of Nell Gwynne's by Kage Baker
    Act One by Nancy Kress
    Arkfall by Carolyn Ives Gilman
    Shambling Towards Hiroshima by James Morrow
    Sublimation Angels by Jason Sanford
    The God Engines by John Scalzi

    The Kress, the Gilman, and the Morrow.


    Which 2010 Nebula Finalist Novelettes Have You Read?

    Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest; Red Mask, Black Mask, Gentleman,
    Beast by Eugie Foster
    A Memory of Wind by Rachel Swirsky
    Divining Light by Ted Kosmatka
    I Needs Must Part, the Policeman Said by Richard Bowes
    The Gambler by Paolo Bacigalupi
    Vinegar Peace, or, The Wrong-Way Used-Adult Orphanage by Michael Bishop

    The Foster, the Swirsky, and because god is dead, the Bacigalupi.


    Which 2010 Nebula Finalist Short Stories Have You Read?

    Spar by Kij Johnson
    Bridesicle by Will McIntosh
    Going Deep by James Patrick Kelly
    Hooves and the Hovel of Abdel Jameela by Saladin Ahmed
    I Remember the Future by Michael A. Burstein
    Non-Zero Probabilities by N. K. Jemisin

    Just the Johnson and the Jemisin.


    --
    My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
    My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
    My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
    My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From James Nicoll@21:1/5 to alan@sabir.com on Mon Nov 18 15:11:00 2024
    In article <lq13cmFou0iU1@mid.individual.net>,
    Chris Buckley <alan@sabir.com> wrote:
    On 2024-11-18, James Nicoll <jdnicoll@panix.com> wrote:

    2010! Travellers learn how to pronounce "Eyjafjallajokull", Britain's
    Liberal Democrats secure their position in history by forming a
    coalition with the Conservatives, and the International Space Station
    sets a record for the longest continuous human occupation of space.

    Which 2010 Nebula Finalist Novels Have You Read?

    The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
    Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
    Finch by Jeff VanderMeer
    Flesh and Fire by Laura Anne Gilman
    The City & The City by China Mieville
    The Love We Share Without Knowing by Christopher Barzak

    I read the Bacigalupi (which I hated and which kept its publisher
    afloat for years), the Priest and the Mieville

    I read the Mieville (quite good) and the Bacigalupi, which is a
    Favorite! Different strokes for different folks (I regard it as
    excellent magic realism and James regards it as bad hard sf - both
    are at least somewhat true, IMO).

    Nothing shorter once again.
    Chris

    Bad, racist, and sexist SF.

    --
    My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
    My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
    My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
    My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Paul S Person@21:1/5 to Nicoll on Mon Nov 18 08:40:51 2024
    On Mon, 18 Nov 2024 15:11:00 -0000 (UTC), jdnicoll@panix.com (James
    Nicoll) wrote:

    In article <lq13cmFou0iU1@mid.individual.net>,
    Chris Buckley <alan@sabir.com> wrote:
    On 2024-11-18, James Nicoll <jdnicoll@panix.com> wrote:

    2010! Travellers learn how to pronounce "Eyjafjallajokull", Britain's
    Liberal Democrats secure their position in history by forming a
    coalition with the Conservatives, and the International Space Station
    sets a record for the longest continuous human occupation of space.

    Which 2010 Nebula Finalist Novels Have You Read?

    The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
    Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
    Finch by Jeff VanderMeer
    Flesh and Fire by Laura Anne Gilman
    The City & The City by China Mieville
    The Love We Share Without Knowing by Christopher Barzak

    I read the Bacigalupi (which I hated and which kept its publisher
    afloat for years), the Priest and the Mieville

    I read the Mieville (quite good) and the Bacigalupi, which is a
    Favorite! Different strokes for different folks (I regard it as
    excellent magic realism and James regards it as bad hard sf - both
    are at least somewhat true, IMO).

    Nothing shorter once again.
    Chris

    Bad, racist, and sexist SF.

    I think the only thing I have read in the "magic realism" category is
    /Terra Nostra/, which I found amazing.

    But then I also liked /Gravity's Rainbow/.
    --
    "Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
    Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
    Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Robert Woodward@21:1/5 to James Nicoll on Mon Nov 18 09:58:01 2024
    In article <vhfjo7$apo$1@reader1.panix.com>,
    jdnicoll@panix.com (James Nicoll) wrote:

    2010! Travellers learn how to pronounce "Eyjafjallajokull", Britain's
    Liberal Democrats secure their position in history by forming a
    coalition with the Conservatives, and the International Space Station
    sets a record for the longest continuous human occupation of space.


    <SNIP of all finalists>

    The best I can tell, this is a complete wipeout (which will repeat for
    future lists).

    --
    "We have advanced to new and surprising levels of bafflement."
    Imperial Auditor Miles Vorkosigan describes progress in _Komarr_. ‹-----------------------------------------------------
    Robert Woodward robertaw@drizzle.com

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Titus G@21:1/5 to James Nicoll on Tue Nov 19 18:28:53 2024
    On 19/11/24 03:42, James Nicoll wrote:

    Which 2010 Nebula Finalist Novels Have You Read?

    The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
    Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
    Finch by Jeff VanderMeer
    Flesh and Fire by Laura Anne Gilman
    The City & The City by China Mieville
    The Love We Share Without Knowing by Christopher Barzak

    I read the Bacigalupi (which I hated and which kept its publisher
    afloat for years), the Priest and the Mieville


    Both the Bacigalupi and the Mieville novels were a solid four stars for me. Bacigalupi's "Ship Breaker" was less than mediocre and I just discovered
    that I have "The Water Knife" so began reading it today. So far it is a
    dark but a brilliant corrupt dystopia of a future of dust storms and
    water shortage where Nevada controls the water from the Colorado and
    Arizona is turning into a deserted desert like Texas already is. The high-impact chapters from a variety of perspectives are short making it difficult to put down. His "Pump Six and Other Stories was a mixed bag
    but four stars for "The People of Sand and Slag".
    Mieville's imagination and writing skills are just brilliant. "The City
    & The City" is a great example of how he can make a ridiculous idea seem plausible and seriously entertaining.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From Bobbie Sellers@21:1/5 to William Hyde on Tue Nov 19 12:24:25 2024
    On 11/19/24 11:18, William Hyde wrote:
    Titus G wrote:
    On 19/11/24 03:42, James Nicoll wrote:

    Which 2010 Nebula Finalist Novels Have You Read?

    The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
    Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
    Finch by Jeff VanderMeer
    Flesh and Fire by Laura Anne Gilman
    The City & The City by China Mieville
    The Love We Share Without Knowing by Christopher Barzak

    I read the Bacigalupi (which I hated and which kept its publisher
    afloat for years), the Priest and the Mieville


    Both the Bacigalupi and the Mieville novels were a solid four stars
    for me.
    Bacigalupi's "Ship Breaker" was less than mediocre and I just discovered
    that I have "The Water Knife" so began reading it today. So far it is a
    dark but a brilliant corrupt dystopia of a future of dust storms and
    water shortage where Nevada controls the water from the Colorado and
    Arizona is turning into a deserted desert like Texas already is.


    I'm not likely to read the book any time soon so, how does Texas turn
    into a desert?

    William Hyde

    Texas becomes a desert through ongoing floods and droughts. Plus restrictive medical policies drove a lot of people out of the state
    before it became a desert. Basically the Climate Denialists won and the
    Global Warming went on and on with less and less predictable weather.

    When the ground beneath your feet is washed away how long will
    you stay?

    bliss

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Dimensional Traveler@21:1/5 to William Hyde on Wed Nov 20 07:49:27 2024
    On 11/19/2024 11:18 AM, William Hyde wrote:
    Titus G wrote:
    On 19/11/24 03:42, James Nicoll wrote:

    Which 2010 Nebula Finalist Novels Have You Read?

    The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
    Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
    Finch by Jeff VanderMeer
    Flesh and Fire by Laura Anne Gilman
    The City & The City by China Mieville
    The Love We Share Without Knowing by Christopher Barzak

    I read the Bacigalupi (which I hated and which kept its publisher
    afloat for years), the Priest and the Mieville


    Both the Bacigalupi and the Mieville novels were a solid four stars
    for me.
    Bacigalupi's "Ship Breaker" was less than mediocre and I just discovered
    that I have "The Water Knife" so began reading it today. So far it is a
    dark but a brilliant corrupt dystopia of a future of dust storms and
    water shortage where Nevada controls the water from the Colorado and
    Arizona is turning into a deserted desert like Texas already is.


    I'm not likely to read the book any time soon so, how does Texas turn
    into a desert?

    Much of Texas already is a desert.

    --
    I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
    dirty old man.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Jay E. Morris@21:1/5 to Lynn McGuire on Wed Nov 20 19:14:44 2024
    On 11/20/2024 2:39 PM, Lynn McGuire wrote:
    On 11/20/2024 9:49 AM, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
    On 11/19/2024 11:18 AM, William Hyde wrote:
    Titus G wrote:
    On 19/11/24 03:42, James Nicoll wrote:

    Which 2010 Nebula Finalist Novels Have You Read?

    The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
    Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
    Finch by Jeff VanderMeer
    Flesh and Fire by Laura Anne Gilman
    The City & The City by China Mieville
    The Love We Share Without Knowing by Christopher Barzak

    I read the Bacigalupi (which I hated and which kept its publisher
    afloat for years), the Priest and the Mieville


    Both the Bacigalupi and the Mieville novels were a solid four stars
    for me.
    Bacigalupi's "Ship Breaker" was less than mediocre and I just
    discovered
    that I have "The Water Knife" so began reading it today. So far it is a >>>> dark but a brilliant corrupt dystopia of a future of dust storms and
    water shortage where Nevada controls the water from the Colorado and
    Arizona is turning into a deserted desert like Texas already is.


    I'm not likely to read the book any time soon so, how does Texas turn
    into a desert?

    Much of Texas already is a desert.

    Yup.  Everything west of I-35.

    The Houston metropolitan area gets 60 to 65 inches of rain a year.  Or
    in the case of Hurricane Harvey, 65 inches of rain in 4 days.

    My parents live in Lavaca County (Port Lavaca), 110 miles from my house
    in Fort Bend County outside Houston.  They get 10 to 15 inches of rain a year.

    Lynn


    Admittedly I haven't been to Fort Worth much or in a long time but I
    don't remember it being desert.

    According to this Nations Online Project map I'd say maybe 20% is desert.

    https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/map/USA/texas_map.htm

    Scroll down a bit.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Paul S Person@21:1/5 to morrisj@epsilon3.comcon on Thu Nov 21 09:06:35 2024
    On Wed, 20 Nov 2024 19:14:44 -0600, "Jay E. Morris"
    <morrisj@epsilon3.comcon> wrote:

    <is Texas a desert?>

    Admittedly I haven't been to Fort Worth much or in a long time but I
    don't remember it being desert.

    According to this Nations Online Project map I'd say maybe 20% is desert.

    https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/map/USA/texas_map.htm

    Scroll down a bit.

    I clicked on it.

    I was greeted with all sorts of ... stuff.

    And more stuff I had to ignore when I tried to leave.

    Well, one thing can be said for it: it's persistant.

    Hopefully, my Full Virus Scan tomorrow won't find any surprises.

    The land-form list seems to feature a lot of dry parts, some actually containing areas with "desert" in their name.

    But, IIRC, East Texas may be soggier than the rest of the State.
    Something about "piney woods thinning out as you move West onto the
    plains".

    Of course, if we define, say, any County with less that a given
    population density as "desert" (using an older sense where the focus
    was on a lack of people living there and not on sand and heat), there
    would (I suppose) be a /lot/ of deserts.
    --
    "Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
    Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
    Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Ted Nolan @21:1/5 to psperson@old.netcom.invalid on Thu Nov 21 17:20:54 2024
    In article <djpujjdnqd49tccbhl16gerrlcm17ib167@4ax.com>,
    Paul S Person <psperson@old.netcom.invalid> wrote:
    On Wed, 20 Nov 2024 19:14:44 -0600, "Jay E. Morris"
    <morrisj@epsilon3.comcon> wrote:

    <is Texas a desert?>

    Admittedly I haven't been to Fort Worth much or in a long time but I
    don't remember it being desert.

    According to this Nations Online Project map I'd say maybe 20% is desert.

    https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/map/USA/texas_map.htm

    Scroll down a bit.

    I clicked on it.

    I was greeted with all sorts of ... stuff.

    And more stuff I had to ignore when I tried to leave.

    Well, one thing can be said for it: it's persistant.

    Hopefully, my Full Virus Scan tomorrow won't find any surprises.

    The land-form list seems to feature a lot of dry parts, some actually >containing areas with "desert" in their name.

    But, IIRC, East Texas may be soggier than the rest of the State.
    Something about "piney woods thinning out as you move West onto the
    plains".

    Of course, if we define, say, any County with less that a given
    population density as "desert" (using an older sense where the focus
    was on a lack of people living there and not on sand and heat), there
    would (I suppose) be a /lot/ of deserts.
    --

    By that standard, Alaska is a desert, but Baked Alaska is a dessert!
    --
    columbiaclosings.com
    What's not in Columbia anymore..

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Dimensional Traveler@21:1/5 to All on Thu Nov 21 22:11:00 2024
    On 11/21/2024 9:20 AM, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
    In article <djpujjdnqd49tccbhl16gerrlcm17ib167@4ax.com>,
    Paul S Person <psperson@old.netcom.invalid> wrote:
    On Wed, 20 Nov 2024 19:14:44 -0600, "Jay E. Morris"
    <morrisj@epsilon3.comcon> wrote:

    <is Texas a desert?>

    Admittedly I haven't been to Fort Worth much or in a long time but I
    don't remember it being desert.

    According to this Nations Online Project map I'd say maybe 20% is desert. >>>
    https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/map/USA/texas_map.htm

    Scroll down a bit.

    I clicked on it.

    I was greeted with all sorts of ... stuff.

    And more stuff I had to ignore when I tried to leave.

    Well, one thing can be said for it: it's persistant.

    Hopefully, my Full Virus Scan tomorrow won't find any surprises.

    The land-form list seems to feature a lot of dry parts, some actually
    containing areas with "desert" in their name.

    But, IIRC, East Texas may be soggier than the rest of the State.
    Something about "piney woods thinning out as you move West onto the
    plains".

    Of course, if we define, say, any County with less that a given
    population density as "desert" (using an older sense where the focus
    was on a lack of people living there and not on sand and heat), there
    would (I suppose) be a /lot/ of deserts.
    --

    By that standard, Alaska is a desert, but Baked Alaska is a dessert!

    Antarctica is mostly desert. Serious, its based on average annual precipitation.

    --
    I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
    dirty old man.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Paul S Person@21:1/5 to dtravel@sonic.net on Fri Nov 22 09:03:32 2024
    On Thu, 21 Nov 2024 22:11:00 -0800, Dimensional Traveler
    <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:

    On 11/21/2024 9:20 AM, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
    In article <djpujjdnqd49tccbhl16gerrlcm17ib167@4ax.com>,
    Paul S Person <psperson@old.netcom.invalid> wrote:
    On Wed, 20 Nov 2024 19:14:44 -0600, "Jay E. Morris"
    <morrisj@epsilon3.comcon> wrote:

    <is Texas a desert?>

    Admittedly I haven't been to Fort Worth much or in a long time but I
    don't remember it being desert.

    According to this Nations Online Project map I'd say maybe 20% is desert. >>>>
    https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/map/USA/texas_map.htm

    Scroll down a bit.

    I clicked on it.

    I was greeted with all sorts of ... stuff.

    And more stuff I had to ignore when I tried to leave.

    Well, one thing can be said for it: it's persistant.

    Hopefully, my Full Virus Scan tomorrow won't find any surprises.

    The land-form list seems to feature a lot of dry parts, some actually
    containing areas with "desert" in their name.

    But, IIRC, East Texas may be soggier than the rest of the State.
    Something about "piney woods thinning out as you move West onto the
    plains".

    Of course, if we define, say, any County with less that a given
    population density as "desert" (using an older sense where the focus
    was on a lack of people living there and not on sand and heat), there
    would (I suppose) be a /lot/ of deserts.
    --

    By that standard, Alaska is a desert, but Baked Alaska is a dessert!

    Antarctica is mostly desert. Serious, its based on average annual >precipitation.

    Another fine definition. But would it work for "desert" areas in, say,
    England? Or are the Moors populated now?

    Complicating matters, of course, is the effect of Man. Thus, Eastern
    Washington is a desert -- but, thanks to the Grand Coulee dam on the
    Columbia generating electricity and providing irrigation, it grows a
    lot of crops. This gives us an area that generally votes Republican,
    but which depends for its economy on a massive expenditure of Federal
    funds.
    --
    "Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
    Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
    Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Default User@21:1/5 to Paul S Person on Sun Nov 24 03:47:21 2024
    Paul S Person wrote:

    On Wed, 20 Nov 2024 19:14:44 -0600, "Jay E. Morris"
    <morrisj@epsilon3.comcon> wrote:

    <is Texas a desert?>

    Admittedly I haven't been to Fort Worth much or in a long time but
    I don't remember it being desert.

    According to this Nations Online Project map I'd say maybe 20% is
    desert.

    https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/map/USA/texas_map.htm

    Scroll down a bit.

    I clicked on it.

    I was greeted with all sorts of ... stuff.

    And more stuff I had to ignore when I tried to leave.

    Well, one thing can be said for it: it's persistant.

    It looks much better if your browser support Reader View.


    Brian

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)