a zoo in hell

4.10.2011

On a roll: 4.10.2011

If you've been paying attention, you know that anthologies built around a theme usually do better than ones that are less organized. Living After Midnight collects a few stories, all of them based on the names of heavy metal bands. This seems like a clever combination of two tastes very closely linked -- horror and metal.

I had the pleasure of working with Douglas Clegg at Horror Writer's Bootcamp. He's a great guy, and here's an interview which he talks about some of his own writing process.

On the science-fiction side of things, Granta has an issue devoted to aliens. In this online essay, Jeremy Sheldon does a bit of critical work on the presentation of aliens in various book covers. While the writing choses to focus a little much on the obvious vaginal imagery in much of this, there is some interesting discussion of uniforms and general design that I haven't seen before. Locus, the print magazine, has an interview with Shaun Tan, excerpts are posted on their website. I like what he has to say about the approach he takes toward illustration, the same detachment can serve any artist well, the ability to see the subject as it is, not as you assume it to be.

I had no idea that there was an award for tie-in fiction writing. Here is the list for this year's nominees -- interested to see the author of Warhammer books, Nathan Long, in with various television screenwriters. I didn't realize TV writers were considered to be part of the tie-in world. Atlanta Nights, a manuscript intentionally written badly as a way to expose vanity publishers, might become a movie. China Mieville has a clever treatment for a "scrap" Iron Man project. I love it, doubt it'll see publication.

Here's a vintage ad for an aeronaut which features some local locale I've not heard of. Here's some famous sci-fi film scenes rendered in peeps. Here's some furniture made out of airplane parts.

A few book which are working their way to my "to-read" pile. Eldritch Revolutions looks promising. Kaiki looks to be pretty cool, might make it to the top of the pile. I love Japanese ghost stories, both on film and on the page.  Esoterra has a compilation out.

In this local zine, Andrew Vachss sounds off about bullies.