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August Eighth, Two Thousand Ten

I just finished reading Palimpsest by Catherynne M. Valente. It is the story of four people from our world who find themselves at the gates of a beautiful, terrible, otherworldly city. It is about the choices they make – and the sacrifices. This book was nominated for a Hugo award in 2010. As of this broadcast, I don’t know who will be taking the rocket ship home. Now, I’m the kind of person who can read a book for the beauty of the prose alone – having said that, of all this year’s Hugo nominated novels, Palimpsest is my favorite. The world it contains is exquisite, the prose is lush and gorgeous, and the characters are not the kind of people I’m used to seeing in SF novels. I do think the sex scenes will make it a hard sell for the more traditional science fiction reader. If you have not yet read Palimpsest, I do recommend it.
Speaking of Catherynne M. Valente, if you’re like me and you can’t get enough of her writing, she has two new stories out: Thirteen Ways of Looking at Space/Time in Clarkesworld, and How to Become a Mars Overlord in Lightspeed Magazine. Both are free online, and both are also available as podcasts. They are both beautiful – though I’m given to understand that there is some controversy surrounding her story in Clarkesworld. I’ll admit, I was surprised to see something like Thirteen Ways of Looking at Space/Time published in a science fiction magazine – not because it didn’t belong, but because it was so powerful, and because it felt so personal. I suppose I should not have been surprised – these are the same people who published Spar.  My advice? Go read the story. Or listen. And look out for this one on next year’s awards ballots.
In astronomy news, the Perseid meteor shower will be arriving later this week. Ideal viewing days in the Northern hemisphere are Thursday the 12th and Friday the 13th. This year’s Perseids fall during a new moon, so if the seeing is good, viewing conditions will be ideal.
Here in the Vortex, meteorologists are promising clear skies and temperatures in the high nineties.
Also in astronomy news: It’s that time of year again! An e-mail rumor that Mars will be as big as the Moon in the night sky is hitting the web once again. This rumor started back in 2003 and has not died down since, despite the notable lack of a huge orange orb hanging in the sky. Let me be very clear: this rumor is false. Mars is, and will continue to be, a bright orange pinprick. To see Mars, look west-southwest just after sunset. Right now, Mars is sharing a patch of the night sky with Venus and Saturn, forming a neat planetary trio. It’s pretty, but it’s not as big as the Moon, and it never will be.
Just a reminder: the Kansas City Science Fiction and Fantasy Society will be meeting at seven p. m. on Saturday, August 21st at The Writer’s Place. Remember that membership in the Society lets you access all Society events, and entitles you to a discount membership at ConQuest, Kansas City’s science fiction convention. I hope to see you all there.
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