A.C. Wise

In my totally unscientific observation of things, years that end in an odd number tend to be worse for me in terms of publishing than years ending in an even number. 2009 was no exception. My submission stats for this year:

47 stories submitted
42 stories rejected
5 stories pending
1 story accepted (submitted in 2008)

I was pickier about which markets I submitted to this year, I spent more time editing and re-writing than in previous years, and overall my output was lower. (For comparison purposes, last year I had 72 submissions and 6 acceptances). I’m hoping that the odd-even pattern will hold true for 2010, making it a successful publishing year.

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To celebrate my birthday, we went to see Sherlock Holmes. When I first saw the trailers for this new version, my brain rebelled. The more I saw, though, the more intrigued I became. The movie seems designed to make purists brains explode, and I felt a little guilty about wanting to see it. But then I decided, in honor of getting older, what I really wanted to do was revel in base, immature instincts - namely the desire to see shit blow up and watch Robert Downey Jr. take his shirt off*.

The movie was actually better than I expected. If you go in expecting great cinema, or if you’re a traditionalist, you probably won’t be happy, but if you want a fun action movie, then it’s definitely well worthwhile. There are some nice nods to the source material, and Jude Law and RDJ genuinely seem to have fun with their roles. Cast with other leads, the movie probably wouldn’t be as good, since other than those two, everyone else mostly seemed to just be filling space, but those two carry the film and carry it well. If the idea of Holmes as action hero really bothers you, I suggest mentally substituting different names, say Hemlock Jones and Dr. Waterstone, then just sit back and enjoy the explosions.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I plan to spend the rest of my birthday continuing to celebrate ridiculousness and immaturity by drinking vodka out of a crystal skull, watching cartoons, and possibly playing video games.

*There was significantly less nakedness and exploding than the trailers promised, but I’m still sold on what will inevitably become a series. When Shit Blows Up and Robert Downey Jr. Takes His Shirt Off: The Sequel is released, I’ll have no qualms (or guilt) about paying good money to go see it.

I read fifty some-odd books this year, a combination of novels, graphic novels, single-author short story collections and anthologies. About 98% was within the spec fic genre - note to self: branch out more. The problem is, there are so many things within the genre that I want to read, and only so much time.

Out of the fifty, I managed to come up with a Top Ten, plus two. The plus two were my absolute favorites, and pretty much on opposite ends of the spectrum, though I’m sure my Liberal Arts training could come up with some kind of parallel if pressed.

The Top Two:

Beloved by Toni Morrison

I’d been meaning to read Beloved ever since I saw the movie. It lodged certain images (true to the source material) in my skull that remain there to this day. The book is so much more. It’s darker, it’s more painful, and it’s full of far more beauty. It isn’t a comfortable read, but reading shouldn’t always be comfortable. Appropriate to a ghost story, it is a book that will continue to linger, haunt me, and never let me go.

Finch by Jeff VanderMeer

Finch was everything I wanted it to be and more. Even though I’m a fan of Jeff VanderMeer’s work, a lot of it is hit or miss for me. I loved parts of City of Saints and Madmen and Veniss Underground, and I feel the same way about his short stories. Everything about Finch hit the right notes for me. This is a novel that’s drenched in style, beautifully weird, and strikes the perfect tone. It’s the Ambergris story I’ve been waiting for.

The rest of my top ten, in no particular order, below the cut.

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If you’re a member of the SFWA, John Klima, with the help of Mary Robinette Kowal, is making issues 17/18 and 19 of Electric Velocipede available for your reading (and Nebula Award consideration) pleasure. Details are available on John’s blog. Even if you’re not a member, and you just want a taste of what’s offered in the current issue (#19) or any of the past issues, you can read excepts of each story on the Electric Velocipede website. Regardless of your membership in any organization, if you have a particular fondness for clockwork and alternate history, may I humbly suggest checking out my own offering in Electric Velocipede 19, A Mouse Ran Up the Clock? But remember, only the first taste is free…

Patrick Rothfuss is not only a wonderful author, he’s a wonderful human being. For (at least) the second year in a row, he has set up a challenge page at Heifer International, a charity that helps families raise themselves out of poverty through sustainable agriculture. Check out Patrick’s blog for more information on how to support this wonderful organization. If you donate through his page, you’ll have the opportunity to win fabulous prizes. Plus, how can you resist an organization that allows you to give the gift of cows, goats, water buffalo and honeybees during this holiday season?

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