Just put this up on my recommended reading list. A few more comments below:
I, Alien - first-person accounts from the point of view of the Other, usually but not necessarily interacting with humans. The great majority of the stories in this collection were strong and absorbing. Most of the rest were at least entertaining, with only two real "misses" in the collection (Aortic Insubordination by Batya Swift Yasgur and Barry N. Malzberg, and Harvesting by Nina Kiriki Hoffman. Sorry, guys). Unfortunately, they were right next to each other, which does bring me to my only major quibble about I, Alien - it might have been better organized. Most of the comedic stories were in a bunch near the front, with the collection turning more serious / esoteric as it continued. Until about a third of the way through, I was going to complain that the back of the book doesn't properly emphasize the humor element.
About Me
- Lindsey Duncan
- I'm a professional harp performer, chef / pastry chef, and speculative fiction writer from Cincinnati, Ohio. My contemporary fantasy novel Flow is available from Double Dragon Publishing, and my science fiction novel Scylla and Charybdis is now out from Grimbold Books. I've also sold a number of short stories and a few pieces of speculative poetry. I write predominantly fantasy, usually epic and/or humorous, with some soft science fiction. I play the traditional lever harp with a specialty in Celtic music - but I also perform modern and Renaissance tunes. And yes, you read that right - I have a diploma in Baking and Pastry and an Associates in Culinary Arts and am currently working in the catering field at Kate's Catering and Personal Chef Services (Dayton, KY). I am a CPC (Certified Pastry Culinarian) and CSW (Certified Specialist of Wine).
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Also ...
Changed my excerpt on my webpage to a bit from another retired story, "Worlds Overdue." It's the opening half page or so, at least in the font I write.
Warrior Codes
I was pretty sure of this one - the editor was very complimentary when he told me they were holding the story for review - but it's great to have confirmation: Warrior Codes was just sold to Art & Prose. This was initially a challenge at Fantasy-Writers.org to write a story that could have the title "Butterknife Samurai" - I chose to do it by entering the word samurai into wikipedia and using the most interesting disambiguation entries.
Monday, February 04, 2008
BASH Review
A bit less positive on the count of my story, but I'm not too fussed as - this was my first sale. And a solid overview of the collection:
http://otter.covblogs.com/archives/025685.html
http://otter.covblogs.com/archives/025685.html
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Diminishing Returns
No, this isn't a gripe. ;-) I sold this story to the lovely folks over at Electric Spec! It was a fun take on an unusual price for shapeshifting I encountered in mythology ... an early editor asked for a revision because they thought the ending was inappropriate. They didn't take the story, but I'm glad they made the suggestion, because it now has a good home.
Death and the Librarian
"Death and the Librarian" is a collection of Esther Friesner short stories. Now, the mere concept of this had me dancing in joy, because I think Friesner is a goddess with witty turns of phrase, so I suppose it was inevitable that there would be some letdown. I'm going to give an overall impression of the collection first, then touch on the individual stories.
Overall, I found this collection to be uneven. The stories swing between deeply serious and deeply funny, and I can't really point to any one story that sufficiently bridges the gap. Reading more than a couple stories in a sitting is something of a bipolar experience. The humorous stories are, as usual, excellent, though I wasn't sure they were Friesner's best. With one exception, I would have preferred to see any of these stories swapped out for "Twelve Steppe Program" from Warrior Princesses - but maybe there were rights issues. The serious stories generally seem to share an inherently introspective point of view, told largely through flashbacks with little forward motion, and they frequently leave gaps.
I noticed one common point with most of these stories that I truly enjoy: they all include some element of mystery, a puzzle to be deciphered. In a lot of cases, this is on the part of the reader, not the characters, but it's still enjoyable to ask, "What's going on?" in addition to, "What happens next?"
All Vows: In this story, a child who can see ghosts and a homeless man journey to DC to keep an important appointment. This is one of those aforementioned 'puzzle' stories, and if you're clever, you'll see what's going on quite early in the story. The prose is beautiful, but it seems to be more of a set piece than a distinct plot. I had trouble grasping that the narrator was male - with Corey being something of a gender-neutral name and so much first-person narration before the fact that "I" is a boy is indicated, my brain-voice got stuck in the feminine. This made the ending a matter of ... had to stop and reread 2-3 times to get it.
True Believer: Hysterical and surreal at the same time, this story brings a troupe of imaginary comics characters and the beliefs of a small boy to life, with hysterical results. The main character is his beleagured mother. All the loose ends in this story come together for some purpose - it's really a joy to watch them fall into place.
"White!" Said Fred: We've read the story about the genie outwitting his poor, hapless masters plenty of times. That said, this is a great execution of the idea, and the attitudes and understandings of the characters are portrayed in a top-notch fashion - even if you wouldn't want to invite them home for dinner.
A Birthday: It is the birthday of the narrator's daughter, Tessa - only there's something unusual about her situation and this specific birthday. The world in this story unfolds slowly, elegantly - but not quite enough. I found myself compelled to continue turning the pages, looking for the final piece, the last bit of understanding. I was chilled by the ending, but left with the sense that crucial worldbuilding had been left out. You can assume, but the story remains annoyingly nebulous. This story pulls off first person present tense phenomenally well (for reasons that become apparent near the end) - I didn't even notice it until I went back to write this review.
A Pig's Tale: This is the story that comes closest to melding the humorous and serious elements, so it's appropriate it comes about a third of the way in. In this tale, the pig from Alice In Wonderland sets out to find his own way in the world - a way where he carefully avoids the "prison" of meaning. And while the story is bizarre in ways I'm not entirely sure I appreciate ... wow. This argument is eloquent. The early pages of the story perfectly crystallize my (negative) feelings towards literary analysis.
Love, Crystal and Stone: A surreal story about a poet who meanders in and out of the literal and the metaphorical, the original grounding of elements in the real world of Granada wandering into a fairytale about the abduction of the moon. I need to go back and read this one again - I'm not sure I "got it" the first time. It is vastly absorbing just for the continuous play of poetic imagery, but difficult to follow.
In The Realm of Dragons: A boy whose uncle was beaten to death goes on a mission to seek revenge - maybe. Another serious story told primarily through flashbacks, the initial weaving of hallucination with recollection with present is tricky to follow and somewhat confusing, but push forward and all becomes clear. This is a gentle, enjoyable story with a simple moral at the end. This one is almost slipstream - it's not entirely clear that the fantastic element isn't all in the characters' minds.
Jesus At The Bat: Be careful what you wish for ... when a young baseball player wishes desperately for divine interference for his losing team, the results are spectacular. There are some points about this story that bugged me - baseball's still a team game; it seemed ineffectual to me to simply have a single amazing player, and I didn't really understand the characters' obsessions with the game. Maybe I just am not enough of a sports person. The hijinks at the end of the story are definitely worth reading, and the ending alone saves any letdown - but I still think this is the weakest funny story in the collection.
Chanoyu: Kamiko engages in a tea-ceremony with her master, all the while having an internal conversation with her "father" - and with a ritual slowness, the truth of her situation peels away. Here's the slow, elegant unfolding I praised in A Birthday done *right* - the gradual ugliness and truths revealed in this story are pitched and paced perfectly. The only complaint I have is that most of the story occurs through an "imaginary" introspective conversation, but like the tea-ceremony that gives the story its title, this story is a thing of precision and beauty.
Ilion: This is Friesner's 9/11 story, where a writer in New York after that fateful day is given new perspective by a messenger angel. This is a quietly beautiful story, gentle, without falling into pathos ... though I think it suffers, again, from a quality of little forward motion. Still, I can't help but appreciate the strong message of hope.
How To Make Unicorn Pie: In the tiny town of Bowman's Ridge, romance novelist Babs Barclay is a Transient despite having lived there for twenty years ... and she's about to discover one of those secrets the Natives just know. This is far and away the best story in the collection, snarky, tongue in cheek, wonderfully funny, and an excellent portrayal of that small town everyone knows is snubbing the Summer People. The rest of the story could be flat and I'd still praise it for the following lines, "I write romances. Historical romances. Books with titles like Druid's Desire and Millard Filmore, My Love." Luckily, the whole tale more than lives up to this kind of patter. Also ... unicorns!
Death and the Librarian: Death ... comes for the librarian, only to find she's been waiting for him for twenty-five years - but isn't quite ready to "give up the ghost" yet. There's a subtle tongue in cheek vein to this story that gives it a unique life, and death's transformations to suit the moment are surreal without being bizarre. This is a beautiful story that reminds me very much of Ilion in its timbre and denouement; these two seem to go hand in hand for a worthy conclusion to the collection.
Overall, I found this collection to be uneven. The stories swing between deeply serious and deeply funny, and I can't really point to any one story that sufficiently bridges the gap. Reading more than a couple stories in a sitting is something of a bipolar experience. The humorous stories are, as usual, excellent, though I wasn't sure they were Friesner's best. With one exception, I would have preferred to see any of these stories swapped out for "Twelve Steppe Program" from Warrior Princesses - but maybe there were rights issues. The serious stories generally seem to share an inherently introspective point of view, told largely through flashbacks with little forward motion, and they frequently leave gaps.
I noticed one common point with most of these stories that I truly enjoy: they all include some element of mystery, a puzzle to be deciphered. In a lot of cases, this is on the part of the reader, not the characters, but it's still enjoyable to ask, "What's going on?" in addition to, "What happens next?"
All Vows: In this story, a child who can see ghosts and a homeless man journey to DC to keep an important appointment. This is one of those aforementioned 'puzzle' stories, and if you're clever, you'll see what's going on quite early in the story. The prose is beautiful, but it seems to be more of a set piece than a distinct plot. I had trouble grasping that the narrator was male - with Corey being something of a gender-neutral name and so much first-person narration before the fact that "I" is a boy is indicated, my brain-voice got stuck in the feminine. This made the ending a matter of ... had to stop and reread 2-3 times to get it.
True Believer: Hysterical and surreal at the same time, this story brings a troupe of imaginary comics characters and the beliefs of a small boy to life, with hysterical results. The main character is his beleagured mother. All the loose ends in this story come together for some purpose - it's really a joy to watch them fall into place.
"White!" Said Fred: We've read the story about the genie outwitting his poor, hapless masters plenty of times. That said, this is a great execution of the idea, and the attitudes and understandings of the characters are portrayed in a top-notch fashion - even if you wouldn't want to invite them home for dinner.
A Birthday: It is the birthday of the narrator's daughter, Tessa - only there's something unusual about her situation and this specific birthday. The world in this story unfolds slowly, elegantly - but not quite enough. I found myself compelled to continue turning the pages, looking for the final piece, the last bit of understanding. I was chilled by the ending, but left with the sense that crucial worldbuilding had been left out. You can assume, but the story remains annoyingly nebulous. This story pulls off first person present tense phenomenally well (for reasons that become apparent near the end) - I didn't even notice it until I went back to write this review.
A Pig's Tale: This is the story that comes closest to melding the humorous and serious elements, so it's appropriate it comes about a third of the way in. In this tale, the pig from Alice In Wonderland sets out to find his own way in the world - a way where he carefully avoids the "prison" of meaning. And while the story is bizarre in ways I'm not entirely sure I appreciate ... wow. This argument is eloquent. The early pages of the story perfectly crystallize my (negative) feelings towards literary analysis.
Love, Crystal and Stone: A surreal story about a poet who meanders in and out of the literal and the metaphorical, the original grounding of elements in the real world of Granada wandering into a fairytale about the abduction of the moon. I need to go back and read this one again - I'm not sure I "got it" the first time. It is vastly absorbing just for the continuous play of poetic imagery, but difficult to follow.
In The Realm of Dragons: A boy whose uncle was beaten to death goes on a mission to seek revenge - maybe. Another serious story told primarily through flashbacks, the initial weaving of hallucination with recollection with present is tricky to follow and somewhat confusing, but push forward and all becomes clear. This is a gentle, enjoyable story with a simple moral at the end. This one is almost slipstream - it's not entirely clear that the fantastic element isn't all in the characters' minds.
Jesus At The Bat: Be careful what you wish for ... when a young baseball player wishes desperately for divine interference for his losing team, the results are spectacular. There are some points about this story that bugged me - baseball's still a team game; it seemed ineffectual to me to simply have a single amazing player, and I didn't really understand the characters' obsessions with the game. Maybe I just am not enough of a sports person. The hijinks at the end of the story are definitely worth reading, and the ending alone saves any letdown - but I still think this is the weakest funny story in the collection.
Chanoyu: Kamiko engages in a tea-ceremony with her master, all the while having an internal conversation with her "father" - and with a ritual slowness, the truth of her situation peels away. Here's the slow, elegant unfolding I praised in A Birthday done *right* - the gradual ugliness and truths revealed in this story are pitched and paced perfectly. The only complaint I have is that most of the story occurs through an "imaginary" introspective conversation, but like the tea-ceremony that gives the story its title, this story is a thing of precision and beauty.
Ilion: This is Friesner's 9/11 story, where a writer in New York after that fateful day is given new perspective by a messenger angel. This is a quietly beautiful story, gentle, without falling into pathos ... though I think it suffers, again, from a quality of little forward motion. Still, I can't help but appreciate the strong message of hope.
How To Make Unicorn Pie: In the tiny town of Bowman's Ridge, romance novelist Babs Barclay is a Transient despite having lived there for twenty years ... and she's about to discover one of those secrets the Natives just know. This is far and away the best story in the collection, snarky, tongue in cheek, wonderfully funny, and an excellent portrayal of that small town everyone knows is snubbing the Summer People. The rest of the story could be flat and I'd still praise it for the following lines, "I write romances. Historical romances. Books with titles like Druid's Desire and Millard Filmore, My Love." Luckily, the whole tale more than lives up to this kind of patter. Also ... unicorns!
Death and the Librarian: Death ... comes for the librarian, only to find she's been waiting for him for twenty-five years - but isn't quite ready to "give up the ghost" yet. There's a subtle tongue in cheek vein to this story that gives it a unique life, and death's transformations to suit the moment are surreal without being bizarre. This is a beautiful story that reminds me very much of Ilion in its timbre and denouement; these two seem to go hand in hand for a worthy conclusion to the collection.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Sails & Sorcery Review!
Excerpted review from a blog called Grasping For The Wind (http://otter.covblogs.com/archives/024083.html, specifically) about Sails & Sorcery:
Now, one might imagine that after reading so many seafaring stories, that the reader might get a little burned out, or find some repetition in storytelling. And you would be right. But fortunately, W. H. Horner, the editor, did a smart thing, and put the average to poor stories in the front of the volume, and the great stories to the back. At about the thirteenth story (Cassias Song by T. Borreegard) the quality of the tale telling really picks up. In the remaining 15 stories you have such short story luminaries as Paul S. Kemp (The Spinner), Elaine Cunningham (a ghost story called Dead Men Tell No Tales), Lindsey Duncan (Currents and Clockwork), and James M. Ward (with a Halcyon Blithe story). Their stories are filled with the quality tale-telling I have come to expect. They are masters of their crafts, and have given Horner some good material to include in this anthology from a rather small and unknown press.
Now, one might imagine that after reading so many seafaring stories, that the reader might get a little burned out, or find some repetition in storytelling. And you would be right. But fortunately, W. H. Horner, the editor, did a smart thing, and put the average to poor stories in the front of the volume, and the great stories to the back. At about the thirteenth story (Cassias Song by T. Borreegard) the quality of the tale telling really picks up. In the remaining 15 stories you have such short story luminaries as Paul S. Kemp (The Spinner), Elaine Cunningham (a ghost story called Dead Men Tell No Tales), Lindsey Duncan (Currents and Clockwork), and James M. Ward (with a Halcyon Blithe story). Their stories are filled with the quality tale-telling I have come to expect. They are masters of their crafts, and have given Horner some good material to include in this anthology from a rather small and unknown press.
Monday, January 07, 2008
Judging
No, this isn't a critique or a post about critiques, but a bit of harp news ...
I've just been asked to judge the harp competition at the Loch Norman Highland Games near Charlotte, NC.
Poor fools!
I am slightly hyper.
I've just been asked to judge the harp competition at the Loch Norman Highland Games near Charlotte, NC.
Poor fools!
I am slightly hyper.
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
The Dreamweaver's Dispute
This story is being "reprinted" at Anthology Builder (www.anthologybuilder.com/index.php), a build-your-own anthology site where you can choose stories previously found at a wide variety of venues, put them together, and get a paper book of your customized collection. I thought this was a neat idea - I will probably go build one of my own soon - and so sent the story thither-ward. If you put a collection of your own together, consider adding this tale. Shameless plug over. ;-)
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Apartment Tour
This story has been (re)sold to Sorcerous Signals and will appear in their May/July 2008 issue. See if you can spot the elements as they appear ... oh, it's not available yet. Neener, you'll just have to wait. ;-)
Resolved ...
Well, I don't actually do resolutions, but - Happy New Year, all! May this be a year of breakthroughs and progress and ...
... just maybe ...
... I can say I've sold a novel after the next 365.
... just maybe ...
... I can say I've sold a novel after the next 365.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Partridge in a Pear Tree
This is awesome.
The first twenty seconds are normal.
Then all carol breaks loose.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fe11OlMiz8
The first twenty seconds are normal.
Then all carol breaks loose.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fe11OlMiz8
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Mwahaha
"Behind every successful woman are several confused men who give her something to make fun of." -- Sarah Miller
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Review!
For "Sails and Sorcery" story "Currents and Clockwork" -- scroll down, I'm in the last third of the anthology or so.
http://thefix-online.com/reviews/sails-and-sorcery/
http://thefix-online.com/reviews/sails-and-sorcery/
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Already?!
Seth Crossman's "Forbidden Speculations" anthology was just released - no, really! It's out! Amazon link is: http://www.amazon.com/Forbidden-Speculation-Seth-Crossman/dp/0980192102/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1198034711&sr=8-3
I'm sure no one will be rushing out to buy this sight unseen, but still ... cool.
They'll be announcing the final winner of the contest portion of this soon.
I'm sure no one will be rushing out to buy this sight unseen, but still ... cool.
They'll be announcing the final winner of the contest portion of this soon.
Afterburn SF
"Chatter Me Timbers" is now available to read at Afterburn SF (http://www.afterburnsf.com). Stop on by and enjoy a dose of pseudo-classical-Greek pirates.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Traveling Along
The last of my song collection CDs, songs about departing or coming home, moving along, traveling, driving, biking ... you name it.
1. Coming Out Of The Dark -- Gloria Estefan
2. My Way Home -- Kirsty MacColl
3. Anywhere Is -- Enya
4. In My Car (I'll Be The Driver) -- Shania Twain
5. Roots and Wings -- Anne Murray
6. Across The Universe of Time -- Hayley Westenra
7. Runaway -- Anna Sahlene
8. He's On The Beach -- Kirsty MacColl
9. On My Way Home -- Enya
10. Lead Me On -- Amy Grant
11. One Of These Days -- Michelle Branch
12. Runaway -- Cher
13. Miss April -- Chantal Kreviazuk
14. Journey's End -- Clannad
15. I Drove All Night -- Celine Dion
16. The Journey Home -- Sarah Brightman
17. Don't Look Back -- Thalia
18. I Move On -- Chicago soundtrack
I think this is far and away the most varied collection as far as artists. And ... Christmas music? Surely you jest. I'm a professional musician. When I'm not playing it, I am trying to escape the stuff.
1. Coming Out Of The Dark -- Gloria Estefan
2. My Way Home -- Kirsty MacColl
3. Anywhere Is -- Enya
4. In My Car (I'll Be The Driver) -- Shania Twain
5. Roots and Wings -- Anne Murray
6. Across The Universe of Time -- Hayley Westenra
7. Runaway -- Anna Sahlene
8. He's On The Beach -- Kirsty MacColl
9. On My Way Home -- Enya
10. Lead Me On -- Amy Grant
11. One Of These Days -- Michelle Branch
12. Runaway -- Cher
13. Miss April -- Chantal Kreviazuk
14. Journey's End -- Clannad
15. I Drove All Night -- Celine Dion
16. The Journey Home -- Sarah Brightman
17. Don't Look Back -- Thalia
18. I Move On -- Chicago soundtrack
I think this is far and away the most varied collection as far as artists. And ... Christmas music? Surely you jest. I'm a professional musician. When I'm not playing it, I am trying to escape the stuff.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Retirement in Anthology!
The Lorelei Signal runs a yearly anthology with the best stories from each year. This will be the second anthology - and the first one was nominated for an EPPIE (a major ebooks award). And ... Retirement, where I sprung flash fiction upon a poor, unsuspecting editor, will be printed in the anthology!
I am, of course, proud of my story, but I think the illustration was better. ;-)
I am, of course, proud of my story, but I think the illustration was better. ;-)
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Good Taste regarding ... Good Taste
My story "Good Taste" in Aoife's Kiss will be eligible for next year's best-of anthology if it receives enough votes. The online version of the magazine is here: http://samsdotpublishing.com/aoife/main.htm
The vote page is here: http://samsdotpublishing.com/aoife/vote.htm
The vote page is here: http://samsdotpublishing.com/aoife/vote.htm
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Three's a Crowd
Moving on with the music ... sadly, I had more than enough songs to do a "Three's a Crowd" mix, songs where there's another woman, competition for a relationship, or ...
1. Celestine -- Kirsty MacColl (where the "other woman" is her alter-ego)
2. To Love You More -- Celine Dion
3. Baby, I'm In Love -- Thalia
4. I Can't Say Goodbye To You -- Helen Reddy
5. England 2 Columbia 0 -- Kirsty MacColl
6. Heaven's What I Feel -- Gloria Estefan
7. Coulda Been -- Kimberley Locke
8. Misbehavin' -- Thalia
9. Don't Think of Me -- Dido
10. My Affair -- Kirsty MacColl
11. Strong Enough -- Cher
12. (If There Was) Any Other Way -- Celine Dion
13. Free -- Sarah Brightman
14. If Only She Knew -- Michelle Branch
15. Treat Her Like A Lady -- Celine Dion
16. Words Get In The Way -- Gloria Estefan
17. Julia -- Chantal Kreviazuk
18. Blame It On Me -- Anna Sahlene
19. Music Gets The Best of Me -- Sophie Ellis-Bextor (where the "other man" is ... not a person.)
1. Celestine -- Kirsty MacColl (where the "other woman" is her alter-ego)
2. To Love You More -- Celine Dion
3. Baby, I'm In Love -- Thalia
4. I Can't Say Goodbye To You -- Helen Reddy
5. England 2 Columbia 0 -- Kirsty MacColl
6. Heaven's What I Feel -- Gloria Estefan
7. Coulda Been -- Kimberley Locke
8. Misbehavin' -- Thalia
9. Don't Think of Me -- Dido
10. My Affair -- Kirsty MacColl
11. Strong Enough -- Cher
12. (If There Was) Any Other Way -- Celine Dion
13. Free -- Sarah Brightman
14. If Only She Knew -- Michelle Branch
15. Treat Her Like A Lady -- Celine Dion
16. Words Get In The Way -- Gloria Estefan
17. Julia -- Chantal Kreviazuk
18. Blame It On Me -- Anna Sahlene
19. Music Gets The Best of Me -- Sophie Ellis-Bextor (where the "other man" is ... not a person.)
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