A.C. Wise

The past few days have been cloudy, threatening storms that never quite happen, but offering rain instead. While this is good news for the grass, and my sanity (I no longer feel the need to scream at the sun), it’s bad news for trying to snap photos of people in the fountain. Two days in a row, and no one here but us pigeons…

In other good news/bad news, I found out yesterday that my short story ‘A Mouse Ran Up the Clock’ made the long list for Best American Fantasy Vol. 4….in an announcement about the series being canceled. The list is posted here, if you’re looking for some short fantasy fiction recommendations, and the official announcement about the series is here.

The demise of the series saddens me for reasons beyond the incredibly slim chance that I might have made the final cut for the anthology. Among the year’s best/best of breed of anthologies, Best American Fantasy aimed for and achieved something different. It blurred genre lines, and sought out fiction in markets that many genre readers may have missed. If you haven’t read the three existing volumes, they are definitely worth seeking out.

Listing a bunch of unrelated things is kind of like writing a proper post, right?

Thing One: Cern Zoo: Nemonymous Nine, which contains my short story, Mellie’s Zoo, is a finalist for the 2010 British Fantasy Awards. Woohoo!

Thing Two: Aliette de Bodard’s Memories in Bronze, Feathers, and Blood is a lovely story - you should go read it.

Thing the Third: Moon is a beautifully shot and well-acted movie - you should go watch it.

Thing the Last: Futurama is back from the dead, and the first episode of its newly zombified life premiers this Thursday at 10pm. Contrary to the alarming rumors that were floating around at some point, the original cast is back for the second go around. Drop what you’re doing and go set your DVR right now, or if you don’t have a DVR, cancel whatever plans you have, and watch the show real-time. If you don’t, it’ll make robot Jesus cry.

Candy and magic, what more could you want from a story? Go read A Sweet Calling by Tony Pi

And for a different kind of sweetness, check out this surprisingly subtle and understated story (don’t let the title fool you): WE HEART VAMPIRES!!!!! part 1 and part 2 by Meghan McCarron.

I’m so far behind on my online fiction reading that I’ve given up any pretense that I will ever catch up. But you should still read this: Saving the Gleeful Horse by K. J. Bishop. It’s lovely.

Last night, happily ensconced against the last of the snowstorm, I finished reading Caitlin R. Kiernan’s The Red Tree. It’s been a long time since I’ve been so affected by a horror story. I started off being lukewarm on the book; by the end, I couldn’t put it down.

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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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The Parable of the Shower by Leah Bobet

A Journal of Certain Events of Scientific Interest from the First Survey Voyage of the Southern Waters by HMS Ocelot, as Observed by Professor Thaddeus Boswell, DPhil, MSc by Helen Keeble

Water stories seem particularly appropriate right now, since it seems to do nothing but rain lately…with occasional mist, general atmospheric dampness, and a brief bout of hail, thrown in for variety.

Here are two highly visual stories, full of gorgeous, lush language and one graphic story that is simple, yet evocative and full of lovely art.

Devonshire Arms by Alex Dally MacFarlane

Shades of White and Road by Camille Alexa

Black Strings by Ray Fawkes

First, I would like to point you towards two recent pieces over at Strange Horizons: Nira and I by Shweta Narayan and The Spider in You by Sean E. Markey. (If you’re at all arachnophobic, and possibly even if you’re not, the second story is exceedingly creepy and itchy-making, but it’s still wonderful and definitely worth a read).

Second, a recommendation from Fantasy Magazine’s archives: The Small Door by Holly Phillips. I missed this when it was first published, but I’m glad caught it eventually. And hey, if you like it, and you subscribe to Locus, it’s nominated for a Locus Award, so go vote.

Third, speaking of awards, I continue to be awards-adjacent - Horror Library Vol. 3 made the final Stoker Ballot. Go, Horror Library!

Last, but not least, Bibliophile Stalker has a nice review of Cabinet des Fees #2, which can be found here.

I haven’t seen the movie, but the fact that they made it inspired me to seek out and read the books. (See, the power of the re-interpretation can be used for good.) I have to say, I am seriously digging this series.

Like the best children’s literature, it doesn’t talk down to kids. It doesn’t back off from dark or disturbing themes, and it gives readers credit for the ability to catch implication, rather than spelling out the subtleties. To me, the series really hit its stride with Greenwitch, the third book. The first two books feel a bit like ’set-up’ books, but they add richness to the characters in the later books, letting the series build slowy.

The books are considered a classic. I’m not sure how I missed them while growing up, but better late than never. The Newbery Honor and Newbery Award are both well deserved. Highly recommended reading.