Red Seas Under Red Skies Read-A-Long, nrlymrtl edition!
Red Seas Under Red Skies RAL:
Part II
Dinosaur Update
Woah. Balticon has a heavy and functional Science Track. They’ve invited speciallists to give lectures or demonstrations about their field. there’s a Science Something every hour (or so) all weekend through Monday. Go Science!
Of course, I stopped in for the Dinosaur Update, given by Dr. Thomas Holtz.
Good god almighty there’s been a Dino Revolution! Let me see if I can wrap my head around some of these new concepts…
First, the very definition of Dinosaur is new to me.
Which means that Pterodactyl is not a dinosaur but that modern birds are.
Woah, right?
Ok, and also that means that our friendly swamp gator is not a Dino descendant, but descends from a (sort of) parallel group called The Forgotten Archosaurs. One of Dr. Holtz’ students maintains a blog about this group, a blog I plan to devour: http://forgottenarchosaurs.blogspot.com/
Dr. Holtz told us that we do have ways of determining dinosaur colors, and perhaps even iridescence.
We’re still actively and rapidly defining new dinos. Tawa and Daemonosaurus, for example, are within the past two years.
There are feathered Tyranosaurs? Rlly?
It seems that we know quite a bit now about feathers, the development of feathers and evolution of flight.
Gratuitous Dino Image (this is Microraptor):
What else? He mentioned that there is a lot of scientific literature that is moving to Open Access platforms, which means that Ye Olde Schmuck like me can read it. I couldn’t find anything straight away for this post, but please look for it and let me know what you find.
He recommends that you buy for me The Complete Dinosaur and Dinosaur Paleobiology.
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The Beer
Ok. The Hubs’ mom brews beer, you guys know this, yes? Ok now you do.
So. Our Darkcargo buddy Barbara Friend-Ish’s book, The Shadow of the Sun has been nominated for the Compton Crook Award, which is awarded annually at Balticon.
So. MIL made beer for Barbara’s book. Cool, no?
Party tonight, third floor, starts at ten.
Here’s Jonah and Barbara modeling the beer.
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Them Guilded Age Dudes
Hah! These fellows are fun and friendly. They’re a drawing/writing team, producing The Guilded Age comic.
By the way, the writer has made a three page crossword, printed up on legal-size paper. I have one. If you want one, let me know. $5. I’ll mail it to you, K?
T. Campbell (writer, in the suit) and Phil Khan (artist, in the ‘hawk)
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Heather Dale
Hi Guys-
Balticon is pretty intense.
Heather Dale and Ben Deschamps are the Musical Guests of Honor here this year. I got to watch this concert with Jonah, so that was especially cool for me, in a super musical-fandom sort of way.
Their concert performance was animated and visually interesting, wonderful! Heather play acts the characters in her songs inspired from the King Arthur legend, about Selkie love, about Inuit myths.
I sniffled a lot through this concert. She is cheerful and inspiring, uplifting, a believer in true love and the power of following your dreams.
My favorite song of the set is Skeleton Woman–the Inuit myth song. This song is included in the album Fairy Tale, which I am just dying to listen to.
But! You guys are cool and I’m nice and so that equates to This CD Belongs to One of You.
Here’s the deal. Research Heather Dale, at www.heatherdale.com, OR on YouTube (search for her name as a search term). Find a song you like and tell me about it. Or, via YouTube, see how fans worldwide are taking her songs and making them their own via their own videos. Tell me what you see and like, in comments, with links.
Balticon ends Monday, and we’re driving home Tuesday. I’ll pick someone to win this CD just as soon as I get home and kiss my lovely husband.
Oh! The art on the CD is by www.marrusart.com. So, researching Marrus Art counts toward the CD winnage, too.
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Red Seas Under Red Skies Read Along Finale
Chupacabra reading in his basket
You guys have stuck with us, making our way (sometimes tortuously slow because it is so darn good!) through this awesome book. Yet now that it is over, I am a little sad, a little happy (for the characters – it could have been so much worse), and greatly looking forward to Book 3. A big THANK YOU to Little Red Reviewer who kicked this whole adventure off and kept us all on target (like using saddled cats to herd prairie dogs). Make sure to stop by her place and tell her what a good idea this was.
This week’s questions come from Lynn over at Lynn’s Book Blog, so check that out. Also follow our snarky remarks on twitter with #lynchmob.
The Questions:
1. Oh my god, such a lot going on I thought the showdown between the Poison Orchid and the Sovereign was brilliantly written and they were holding their own until Utgar and his nasty device turned up. Well a lot of you had kind of predicted it, and I suppose we’d been let off too easy so far in terms of deaths of well-liked characters – but come on, did you expect something like that? And how on earth will Jean ever recover?
2. The deceit, the betrayal, first Rodanov and then Colvard. Even now I’m not entirely sure I understand Colvard – Rodanov was never keen on the oath but Colvard seemed okay with it all and yet in this final deceit she was more devious than Rodanov – what do you think was her motive?
3. Merrain – such a puzzle, no real answer, the mysterious tattoo, the determination to kill everyone to keep her identity and that of her master a secret. Does anybody have any ideas where she’s from and what she’s up to exactly and who the hell is she working for??
4. Finally we get to the point of the GB’s latest scheme, all that elaborate planning for two years, fancy chairs, gambling, dust covered cards, abseiling lessons – all for one gigantic bluff. I loved the diversionary tactic here but having finally reached the end of the story and, more to the point, the end result – do you think the GB’s are as clever as they think they are?
5. I must admit that I liked Requin and Selendri – particularly at the end – I don’t think Requin will go after Locke and Jean, he was even sort of cool and composed about it all, in fact he came across as a bit pleased with himself because he had the last laugh. Plenty of good characters this time which did you enjoy reading most about this time?
6. Finally, a triple barrel question, I know I shouldn’t ask this BUT, on reflection do you have a favorite between LoLL or RSURS?? And why? Are you going to pick up Republic of Thieves? And, where do you think Lynch will take us to next??
My Limited, yet Entertaining, Answers:
1) First – I was glad to see that Lynch threw in some beasties in this fight – those giant bird things and the blob from hell in the water. Next – I think Utgar got off too easily. I was a little surprised he wasn’t kept painfully alive for some time. Lastly – sigh….. Jean has not had enough good stuff in his life and it was hard for Ezri to have to leave it so soon. I admit, I sniffled a bit and wiped my eyes. Which transferred fresh lotion from my hands to my eyes, which had me crying for the next hour. Alcohol burns!
2) Colvard strikes me as highly practical. If you severely disagree with something another pirate is up to, you keep it to yourself and plan behind her back. In this case, she has deniability as only 4 people know the 2 of them met and only those 2 know what they discussed. Very cold, deceitful, and practical. And this might be one of the reasons she has been around so long. I think I have worked for people her character was based on.
3) Another practical lady – with practical shoes. I have this feeling that we have bumped into other discreetly tattooed folks (besides the Archon’s Eyes), but I can’t remember. Will have to re-read these two books. If Chains was training the Gentlemen Bastards, perhaps he had cronies who trained their own folks in similar ways. Perhaps Merrain is one of these trainees and this assignment was her graduating project. I would rate her at a C+.
4) In the first book, we saw that Locke wasn’t as clever as he thought because he did not plan on The Spider getting involved. Here, we see that Locke and Jean did not learn much about the artwork they intended to steal. Otherwise, they would have had a chance of determining that the paintings were great fakes before completing their scheme. What a costly lesson for them! That twist did have me laughing out loud. I also hope it means that Requin won’t be actively seeking their lives as they have enough to worry about.
5) What a tough question! So many of these characters I enjoyed. How about that failed highwayman from earlier in the book when Locke and Jean are practicing their climbing skills. Of course Drakasha and Ezri provided lots of entertainment and intensity. Merrain is a lovely mystery. Aaaaaggghhhh! I’m not going to pick one. I want them all, in questionable ways.
6) While I loved the pirates of RSURS, I think I enjoyed LOLL just a little bit more because we had the adventure of exploring a new world and the camaraderie of the Gentlemen Bastards. Hell, yes, I am going to pick up Book 3! I think My Main Man would be peeved if I didn’t. I think we will have a land adventure in the next book. Perhaps mountains or farms and I am guessing that there will be some scenario where Locke has to call in that favor with the failed highwayman.
Other Tidbits:
Do you think The Archon got off too easy?
Can the Priori protect Tal Verrar from the dominance of Karthain?
I felt that the last 100 pages or so went by fast. I liked how Lynch wrapped up things, but I wish the publishers had given him more pages to fill. I loved the whole bit with the Priori and would have enjoyed more scenes with them.
Regal kitten will grow up with an interesting skill set considering his ‘parents’.
Check out what these other guys are saying (it’s probably more intelligent, entertaining, and thoughtful):
Coffee, Cookies and Chili Peppers
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1950
This is the Con Suite? Rlly?
kewl…Jonah’s going to be playing right here, Elvis-style.
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BaltiCon! Friday Chat
Do you take a little fantasy with your science fiction?
Paula’s first panel at Balticon discusses the merge and smudging together of fantasy and science fiction.
Where does magic end and science begin? Can magic be “scienced” via rules and regulations? If we (humans) inherit or have forgotten technology such that knowledge is lost, does it become magic? Is the far reaches of physics now approaching the mystical? Is Fantasy’s only function to look backward and re-idealize our broken world?
Paula days: science fiction an fantasy together make up the whole human story. (Nice!)
James Maxey says: there is something within us hard wired to believe the impossible. (Yeah!)
Here’s some of the titles the panelists are citing:
The Book of the Long Sun, Gene Wolf
Ship of Fools,
Dust, Elizabeth Bear
Tales of the Dying Earth, Jack Vance
The Psalms of Isaac series, Ken Scholes (yea!)
The Golden Key, Melanie Rawn, Jennifer Roberson, Kate Elliot (triple yah!) *
War Hammer 40K universe
What say you?
*Catherine Asaro recommended that one, yes, Catherine Asaro who is SITTING NEXT TO ME RIGHT NOW!
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Women’s Work
Hooray! Huzzah!
I’m employed!
That’s right. After a year and a half, I am once again an upstanding and productive member of society. Yah!
The hubs was very gracious and supportive with me during this time, and finally I’ll be able to regale him with stories about things that happened Outside The House. I’m sure he’ll be pleased.
To celebrate the awesomeness, I’m giving away some things:
1) my beat-up used to heck copy of Space, Inc., a collection of short stories about workers in the space-travel industry. This collection is edited by Julie Czerneda. Ask for it in the comments.
2) A copy of Women’s Work by Elizabeth Wayland Barber. Why? Anywhere there is both archaeology and fiber I am a fascinated and drooling creature. This book explores the role of women’s industry as the producers of fiber products: fiber, string, fabrics, clothing, embroidery, dyes and dyeing, weaving, sewing, knitting–on and on; and she goes on to show that archaeology, traditionally a man’s realm, has missed such an enormous portion of the history of civilization simply because fiber is not necessarily a part of the average guy’s train of thought (as in, they don’t typically knit for a hobby, and thus didn’t know what to do with a stash of “little stone donuts” [spinning whorls] when they were dug up on the site). She goes on to prove that the ancient world was a lot more connected than was previously imagined, all through the corrected orientation of warp vs. weft. Fascinating. I am now a part of that industry and very happy about it.
3) money (no, not to you) to the Crossed Genres KickStarter campaign. The folks who put together Crossed Genres magazine are both unemployed right now, but they want to keep things going with CG. They’re putting together two story collections with two themes that are of recent interest to Darcargo–skilled labor in SF, and older women as the main character. This got funded so fast that it may be outdated by the time you click on this link, but here it is: Crossed Genres KS. I’ve always liked Crossed Genres magazine, but think it’s especially cool that they’re still doing what they do despite troubles.
4) and a link to an interesting blog post about spinning cotton: Cotton Clouds
Cheers!
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Steampunk World’s Fair 2012
The first thing you should know is that the SPWF is not a convention. Calling it a “fair” is okay, but there are elements of “expo” here as well. SF/F conventions have similar elements, for better or worse. Cons that really stand out to me will take those commonalities and then personalize, evolve, and add some new things (MarsCon). What SPWF did was to take the commonalities and put them in the background of a circus.
May 18-20, the event was held in two hotels separated by a parking lot. I played two Jonah Shows, sat on one panel, and then played a few songs at the absinthe tasting. The rest of the time I walked around, occasionally aimlessly, observing the spectacle.
Vendors
There were a mind-boggling number of vendors everywhere. Freaking everywhere. The rooms on the bottom floor of one hotel were all shops, giving me a tent-city vibe. They were in hallways, parking lots, closets, hidden in corners, down secret passageways and, I can only assume, on the roof. I spent some time trying to find them all and I’m not sure if I did.
There were piles and yards of stuff but I’ll tell ya, after a dozen corsets, two dozen shops selling corsets, and three thousand women wearing corsets (I’m rounding down) you kind of want something different. A more general complaint I have about convention vendor stuff is the surprising lack of cool stuff for kids. I always look for a gift for my 4yr old. He doesn’t want plush dragons or snarky t-shirts. Over the last two years I’ve found a little pirate flag and a bat on a stick and that’s about it. Really? I’ve got money. Where’s the kid merch?
Bands
There were almost as many musical/performing acts as there were vendors. I ducked into probably a dozen concerts for a couple of songs. Like I said, circus. I was always running off to see what else was happening.
I was particularly happy to see The Extraordinary Contraptions although I still don’t fully understand the bands persona. Their show is solid and they are all good show-beings. There is a woman and, I think, a robot. He may not be a robot but he does have an automaton sheen to him.
I also got to talk with and check out Eli August. He’s a smart guy with a refreshing take on making, performing, and managing his music. He actually doesn’t live too far from me.
I also caught a belly dancer kind of thing. She used big ole swords and looked vaguely Arabian. From the website I was under the impression that the burlesque/sideshow acts almost equaled the number of bands but I wasn’t tripping over them. I even went on some walkabouts looking for this stuff and couldn’t find it.
Authors
So, you write some steampunk books. Should you come here next year? That depends. Are you also a fire-eater?
There was a nominal Writers Track but, as I was going into my Paranormal In The Media panel I heard the outgoing writers grumbling and bitching. “If they do this again, I’m not coming back,” said one. The other nodded in agreement.
First, these two authors are known, at least to me, to be loud and bitchy. I’ve heard one of them at another con refuse to be on a panel because he felt that there were too many people on it (I was one. There were 5 people.)
Which brings us to my second point, this is not a con. This is a circus. Authors who also sewed dresses out of parachutes or were showing off their belly dancing outfit seemed to do quite well.
So, if you should arrive next year with your books in tow, do not expect to be the center of attention. Expect to put on a show. Be visualy interesting.
And Then
But the thing I’ll be talking about for the next few years was not any sort of programming. It was the fire alarm. Somebody pulled it on Saturday night/Sunday morning around 2:15am. The scary part was that only one of the seven people in our room woke up. So we hung around in the parking lot for an hour waiting for something or other.
Then it ended. Then we went back to sleep.
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Library FREE Bin
The main library that I have the opportunity to visit every other month has a Free Bin. Well, s couple of bins and some carts. They even keep plastic grocery sacks right there in case you want more than 1 or 2. The library gets so many donations that there is always something new in the Free Bin. Here is what I picked up this last time. Over half of these are by favorite authors. Then I picked up a few others on a whim – such as Shades of Grey by Lisanne Norman which is like Book 8 in some scifi series. Since the romance trilogy by the same name has been getting so much news time, I thought it was cool to bump into a book by the same title and also something I could get into.
I love browsing free books. I have taken a chance on several new authors simply because their book fell into my keeping. I also like the idea of giving the book back to the Free Bin when I am through with it.
Does your library have a Free Bin? Ever donate to it?
Which of these lovelies should I start with?
We see a lot of folks arriving here with the search terms to find illegal pirated free downloads. If you are here for that reason, piss off. 
