Review: The Prey Of Gods by Nicky Drayden

I picked up a couple of freebies at Balticon, so I'm going to review them. And yes, I already finished one of them.

When I looked at the cover art of "The Prey of Gods," I thought I was getting Afro-Futurism. The back cover is a bit more honest.

The Prey of Gods has too much magic for Afro-Futurism...and too much tech for urban fantasy. It basically invents its own genre. It engages with technology, identity and concepts of science and magic intertwined. And with South Africa.

Part of me still wants to call it Afro-Futurism, except it isn't science fiction. Or is it? I honestly can't tell.

And none of that kept me from enjoying it. The one flaw it did have was a slightly abrupt ending - not quite as bad as early C.J. Cherryh, but close. Drayden needs to work on her endings and her pacing just a little bit. Her characters are well-defined, her mythology is internally consistent, it's just that endings are hard.

The feel actually reminds me a little bit of Gaiman, except with a flavor to it that reveals the author's ethnicity as clearly as the back cover photo. In a good way.

Highly recommended for those who enjoy genre-bending weirdness with a large slice of African sensibility.

Balticon Roundup

As often, I didn't get to hang out with all the people I wanted to hang out with.

The con went smoothly. Programming's biggest screwup that I noticed was failing to notice my name on the list for the Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading, and I did get that fixed on the online program (pro tip: The online program is always more accurate than the printed one).

I moderated two panels.

The first one, "How to present your genre work in a non-genre setting" attracted precisely one attendee. Too technical, perhaps?

The second one, "The Future of Work," was standing room only and a lot of people didn't get to ask their questions. Like...whewf. I needed a drink after that one (moderation is not an easy job, people).

Every single panel I was on was well attended (other than the aforementioned panel on workshops and writers' groups) and went smoothly. This year I was pretty much the "Problems in fandom" panelist. Next year I'm sure it will be different.

The fire alarm went off twice. TWICE. It was the local 5th-6th floor alarm. The first time it was somehow set off by power washing the windows. Who knows on the second (It wasn't a kitchen fire, I was close enough to the kitchen at the time that I'd have smelled smoke). This hotel and fire alarms...

Although, the hotel has improved a lot. I still don't like it, but I don't hate it any more. The accessibility problem with the elevators (flickering lighting) has been fixed. The staff seem to have finally grasped what kind of crowd they are getting. The food and beverage service is greatly improved. If we can just get security less twitchy it will be perfect (they're less twitchy, but people who arrive late at night should be able to get from the parking lot to the hotel and for the love of...if a disabled person asks to use your "guests only" restroom, it's good PR to let them without a brouhaha. But compared to previous years...)

Oh, and those who didn't find it this year, for next year? The Hare Krishna festival going on across the street had good lunches for $7 a pop. I didn't check the prices on the booth they had serving vegan hot dogs and other non-Indian food, but I still bet they're more than reasonable by Inner Harbor standards. They do come with a side of meditative chanting ;).

Overall, I think this was the best Balticon of recent years, despite competing with Escape Velocity.

AND I already have three panel ideas for next year, two literary and one gaming.

Requiem

So...I'm saving my con roundup until tomorrow. And it is not for good reasons.

I was helping my friend Joab Stieglitz with his vendor booth (paying for table space with labor) when I decided to check Facebook in a quiet moment to verify plans for the evening.

What I saw instead was a post from Michael Swanwick (We've hung out at cons a few times) announcing the passing of one of the greatest editors of our time).

There is nothing quite like getting news like that at a convention. I did not know Gardner Dozois well. We met, once, and the impression I had of him was positive.

But some people I consider to be past acquaintance and heading well towards friend did. The official announcement of Gardner's passing did not come for a couple of hours, but the news spread rapidly through the convention. It cast a pall. Perhaps not as much of one as it might have. Fandom has a habit of the "show must go on." (It was particularly hard for Neil Clarke, a special guest at the con, who was very close to Dozois).

There are not many who could match Gardner.

He edited Asimov's for 1984-2004, as well as numerous anthologies. He often worked with George R.R. Martin (the pair won the World Fantasy Award for Dangerous Women).

He won 40 Hugos (including Professional Editor 15 times), 40 Nebulas, and 30 Locus Awards. He should have been a Grand Master, but that rank is seldom given to those known primarily as editors. He did receive the Solstice Award for lifetime achievement in science fiction...not much more than a week ago and was in the Hall of Fame.

I'm going to link to Michael's obituary, because I can talk about awards...I can't talk about the man the way Michael can.

Yet despite that, I nearly burst into tears in the middle of the Balticon dealer room. As soon as Joab got back I walked to the con suite to write Gardner's name on the memorial wall (Somehow I was the first person there, perhaps everyone else who knew was still processing.

And dammit, dammit now I can't sell him a story.

I'm Back.

Will do a proper post tomorrow after I've had some recovery time. Suffice to say the con went well except for the now traditional fire alarm.

Off to Balticon

Should be on site mid afternoon. My schedule is posted with one small addition - programming forgot to mention that I will be reading during the Broad Universe RFR during the second half (I'm on a panel during the first half).

I will also be spending some time at the Rantings of a Wandering Mind booth in the Dealer Room. Look for me in the mornings (my panel schedule this year is nicely clustered in the afternoon). This will also be when I will be available to sign books.

And yes, I am bringing a costume or two ;).

Sun Protection

The other day somebody said in my presence that it's not the sun which causes skin cancer, it's sunscreen.

Fortunately, they got roasted for it, but apparently some companies are now making dietary supplements that claim they can protect you from the sun.

Nope.

There are things you can eat/take which promote skin health. But none of them can protect you from the sun.

So, don't fall for it and use that sunscreen. If you're concerned about the effects on, say, coral reefs, use a mineral-based sunscreen that uses zinc oxide or titanium oxide. Oh, and wear a hat, it helps.

Why, hello, Tess

TESS isn't in final orbit yet - its last burn is scheduled for May 30.

But its cameras have been tested and are working just fine.

Check that out. Just check that out. That makes me feel even smaller than looking up in the wilderness.

The universe is a huge, strange, and wonderful place. And we are unique but highly unlikely to be alone.

Full article here.

Rogue Asteroid

It's been hanging out in the orbit of Jupiter for a very long time, but 2015 BZ209 has a small problem:

It's going the wrong way. And science declares that that means it didn't form with the rest of the solar system.

In other words, it came from somewhere else. And unlike our flyby visitor 'Oumuamua, it's sticking around in a stable configuration. We might even be able to go take a look one day.

Genre TV Lineup Changes

Just doing an overview:

Once Upon A Time - Canceled (I never got into it, but...)

Gotham - Renewed, but the next season will definitely be the last (which feels about right creatively. Gotham should end the first time Bruce Wayne puts on the full Batman outfit and he already has the Batmobile...)

CW DC shows: All renewed.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has been renewed but is moving to the summer.

Timeless, which I haven't got around to watching yet, is still unannounced.

The Expanse was canceled, but is owned by the production company. I predict it will end up on Amazon.

Lucifer and the X-Files are both canceled.

New this year?

A reboot of Charmed (Fans I've talked to are between iffy and Nope on this)

The InBetween, which appears to be another paranormal investigator/medium show.

Manifest, in which a plane falls through a five year hole in time.

The Passage, a bio-engineering thriller.

None of these really appeal to me, but YMMV.

Are Octopi Aliens?

...so apparently 33 scientists signed off on a paper saying it's possible octopi, which are admittedly pretty dang weird (blue blood and all), arrived on Earth as frozen eggs on a comet.

They weren't being serious, just exploring the idea of panspermia (which I actually believe may have a grain of truth behind it), but it's an amusing conceit.

And here's the story seed: What if their relatives show up?

Oh, wait, that's the plot of Star Trek IV.

Carbon Nanotubes May Actually Become Useful

...and it's thanks to cresol, a chemical used in household cleaners. The chemical affects the carbon molecules in such a way that they can be worked with (kneaded like dough is the phrase used) the same as common plastics.

This could open the door to the ability to mass produce the tubes...and potentially to weave tubes together to form incredibly strong ropes. If so, that solves the largest engineering problem in the way of building a space elevator.

Infinity War Thoughts (Spoilers)

I enjoyed Infinity War (although I do think Black Panther was a better movie). Here are my thoughts/predictions:

1. Some people have complained about lack of character development. I wasn't expecting any, simply because comics crossovers never have character development. Char development takes place in individual titles, not big crossover events like this. This is not the first time the concept of the Giant Crossover has hit the screen. Admittedly, Crisis on Earth-X did have some char development, but it had a little more space for it (more time, fewer characters).

2. Vision isn't dead. Shuri has him backed up. However, he's not going to come back quite himself, because we have to have the Wanda/Vision romantic tragedy.

3. Loki isn't dead. Because Loki.

4. Heimdall is definitely dead.

5. Gamora isn't dead. She'll come back when somebody returns the soul gem...but that person has to become the next guardian of the soul gem. Quill will try to do it. Nebula will knock his ass out, grab the gem and go get her sister. Because we need Quill and Gamora for GotG 3. We don't need Nebula. (Alt. THANOS does it because that's the one act he regrets, but I think it more likely Thanos is going to die).

6. In the comics, Tony is the one who wields the gauntlet to repair the damage Thanos does. Could happen here. Alt. Steve. Both of their contracts are up...

7. Hulk smash puny Thanos.

8. Banner in the Hulkbuster suit was worth the price of admission.

9. Okoye still has the best lines. And even the best non-lines.

LOIS!!!

It just broke that Margot Kidder has passed away at the age of 69.

Kidder was Reeve's Lois...and very much my generation's Lois Lane. She was definitely the Lois I first saw as a child and despite echoes of hypnotic kisses and turning back time by flying around the planet very quickly in reverse direction (I don't want science in my supers, but...) her face is still what I see when I think of Lois Lane (not to knock the various actors cast since).

She was in numerous other critically acclaimed films, but fought the demons of bipolar disorder and paranoia for much of her life, including faking her death and hacking off her hair.

(Her death was not related to mental illness but was apparently from complications of influenza).

So, What About Venus, Eh?

The Maya think Venus had major influence on our lives on Earth.

Turns out they're right...although not in a way that could be more than a guess. But every 405,000 years, Venus and Jupiter align in such a way that they tug on Earth's orbit, causing a period of hotter summers and colder winters.

We aren't off the hook on climate change, though - we're in the middle of a cycle right now.

Our Sun's Legacy

So, we've finally managed to do all the math and we now know how our sun will die (long after we have become extinct or evolved into something else, perhaps something not at all dependent on this planet).

We already were fairly sure that the sun will swell into a red giant, consuming the Earth, and then shrink into a white dwarf.

But we now know that the sun is big enough to form a planetary nebula...something which will linger for a long time and perhaps be seen by sentient beings on other worlds.

I find something oddly comforting in that...

Tentative Balticon Schedule

Whewf. Once more I've ended up on half the panels ;).

This may not be my final schedule as they keep tweaking it but:

Friday 4pm - Horses 101 with Sarah Pinsker, Jack Campbell, and Walt Boyes
Friday 6pm - How to Present Your Genre Work in a Non-Genre Community with Charles Brown and Jennifer Brehl
Friday 8pm - Fanfiction as Critique and Commentary with Elaine Stiles, John Walker, Sara Testarossa and Tabitha Grace Challis
Friday 10pm - Dirty Mad Libs with Nobilis Reed, Laura Nicole Spence, Michael M. Jones and Scott Roche.
Friday 11pm - Late Night Tales From The Slush Pile with Nobilis Reed and Michael M. Jones

Saturday 1pm - Gaming Isn't Social...Is It? with Mildred Cady, Laura Nicole Spence, Christiana Ellis and Julayne Hughes
Saturday 3pm - Consent Violations and Bystander Intervention with Bill Lawhorn, Jay Smith, Nutty Nuchtchas and Nicki Lynch
Saturday 5pm - Readings with Sarah Pinsker and Ted Weber

Sunday 1pm - Dealing With Day to Day -isms in Gaming Culture with Mildred Cady, Laura Nicole Spence, Christiana Ellis and Julayne Hughes (apparently this is Team Gaming Culture)
Sunday 2pm - The Future of Work with Bill Lawhorn, Filthy Pierre, Larry Niven and Joy Ward.
Sunday 4pm - Fandom Trolls and How To Vanquish Them with Elaine Stiles and Don Sakers
Sunday 6pm - 50 Years of Pern with Andrew Fox, D.H. Aire, Walt Boyes and Don Sakers.

Yeah. 12 hours.

No, I do not have a signing. One may be scheduled, but otherwise I will be available (mostly, as I have to go get ice cream from the old fashioned parlor at SOME point) in the dealer room at the Rantings of a Wandering Mind booth when it is open and I am not on a panel. My books will be available there from when the booth is set up on Friday.

Virtual assistants...

...are starting to get creepy. It's Google's fault.

They unveiled two things:

1. Gmail will now compose emails for you. It's basically an extension of auto correct that lets you insert entire phrases.

2. Google assistant can now reasonably impersonate you to, say, order pizza.

Do we want skynet? This is how we get skynet... (Seriously, I actually think this stuff is cool, but it's also stuff we have to be careful with).

Intriguing Theory About Spacegoing Aliens

Somebody pointed out something I should have thought of (It's now being touted as a stunning discovery, but it's only an interesting thought).

Based off of the evidence so far, it is possible that Earth is, as far as habitable planets go, a wee bit on the small side.

A smaller planet has lower gravity, a larger planet higher, as a general rule. There may be exceptions (and it may be sample bias, it's easier to find larger planets than smaller ones).

So, here's the thought:

The higher the gravity, the harder it is to get off the planet. Some of the "super earths" we have found may have an escape velocity literally too high for chemical rockets.

The larger the planet, the lower the pressure of population and the higher resources on the planet.

In other words:

If you have a larger planet, it is both harder to get into space and you are less motivated to do so.

Which could reduce the number of space-faring civilizations and thus our chances of contacting one.

(And could also, writers, be used as a handy dandy explanation if you want a lot of planet-bound civilizations).

So, why haven't we thought of this before? Somebody give me a story in which somebody actually remembered this rather basic fact of physics...that way I can feel like even more of an idiot.

Some Contract Red Flags

Inspired by the current post on Writer Beware.

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer. This is not legal advice. Just some things to think about:

1. Contracts that request rights the publisher does not intend to or cannot exercise. I had a friend try to talk me into signing with Curiosity Quill (I'm naming and shaming because that publisher has now turned into, surprise, a hot mess) but I walked away when I found out that they wanted me to sign over the movie rights to them. Their grounds were that they would have a better chance of getting the work optioned. Movie rights to a publisher? Nope. In the same vein, only sign over audio rights to a story if the publisher has a track record of using them. Audio is expensive to do yourself, so if you can get them to do it it's great, but signing them over can result in there never being an audio version.

2. Signing over anything in perpetuity or "life of copyright." Now, I have personally signed contracts where the work would stay on the internet in an archive for as long as the short story publisher exists, because a lot ask for that. But they will generally take the work down if you ask.

3. Kill fees/early termination fees. Those are, needless to say, generally bad.

4. No reversion clause if the publisher goes out of business. Although these can't always be enforced, they give you some protection from a book ending up an asset in a bankruptcy case and you not being able to control who gets the right...

5. Any contract that asks you for money up front to cover "expenses" or whatever.

6. Open ended option clauses. The publisher does not need right of first refusal on your next book without any limitations. Generally, I would say it is fine (and polite) to give right of first refusal on a sequel, prequel, or other book in the same world. Also ask for a limit on how long they have to review the work (six months is reasonable).

7. Non-competes. Story time. I had a company try to hire me to write comic scripts for them. I was very excited about the project. I was very much looking forward to it. They said they would send me all of their notes if I signed an NDA. At this point I had not signed a contract with them.

Their NDA contained a corporate style non-compete clause which said that if I wrote anything that even looked like it was inspired by their project, they got the copyright on it. With no sunset clause. This would have included a current project that I had been working on long before I'd heard of these people, and would pretty much have made it impossible for me to write anything set in the real world as long as they existed.

I told them I was not signing it as it stood but was willing to negotiate.

There was no further communication, which indicated they were serious about this.

That kind of ridiculousness is rare, but a common clause for book publishing is for the publisher to ask the author not to publish a similar work within a certain period of time so you are not competing with yourself. This can mean you can only produce one book a year. Some clauses might even be multi-year. Think very carefully about whether a non-compete would harm your career. Some publishers may offer the workaround of "Well, if we publish the book..."

One final red flag:

Very occasionally, a short story market will say that you hand over the rights on submission and get them back when they reject.

This is a no no. No professional magazine does this. It's a way to stop simultaneous submissions. Never submit under these terms because there is a very real risk that the editor will simply never respond, leaving your story in legal limbo.

The Utah...Pony?

So,  a family found a fossil in their backyard.

Of a horse. In Utah. Horses, if you didn't know, evolved on the Great Plains and then crossed the land bridge into Asia. For some reason, they then became extinct in the Americas until reintroduced by Europeans.

It's not, thus, all that surprising to find a 16,000 year old horse fossil in your back yard, except for one thing:

The skeleton looked like a Shetland Pony.

Shetland ponies are the only dwarf breed of horse. There are three kinds of dwarfism in horses - the other two are associated with major health problems.

The fact that this wild horse (horses were domesticated in Asia about 6,000 years ago) was a dwarf is, therefore, interesting to horse breeders.

It demonstrates the possibility that far from Shetland ponies being a human creation, they may be a relic population of a natural subrace. Given certain traits of the breed - a long life, higher cold tolerance and a certain, uh, orneriness, this doesn't surprise me one iota.

Pushing past the space telescope limitation

The James Webb Space Telescope will be the largest we have launched so far.

And it may be close to the limit. Short of building a space station and making the next one in orbit...

...but a guy named Dimitry Savanky has a cheaper idea.

Have the telescope build itself.

The word "Von Neumann Machine" creeps into the consciousness at the mention of self-assembling space ship, but the telescope would not, of course, be out there trying to build more telescopes.

The idea is that you launch in multiple small payloads which are then programmed to come together at the L2 point and make themselves into a telescope.

And it's the least weird of the NAIC phase 1 finalists.

The others go seriously...uh...

Yeah.

One of them is an ornithopter to use on Mars.

And another is a steam powered submarine.

Who opened a portal to the steampunk universe while I wasn't looking?

So, apparently...

...we're not heading for a magnetic pole flip after all.

Dizzy, yet? Honestly, it's enough to turn you into a compass during, well, a magnetic flip.

The latest study compares the magnetic anomaly that's been seen with past events and says it's happened twice before and didn't lead to a flip, so it probably won't this time.

On the other hand, we don't quite know what's going on. And as we've never observed a flip...

Yeah.

I'm dizzy ;).