Short Story Review: Kōbō Abe’s “The Flood” (1950, trans. 1989)
Science Fiction and Other Suspect Ruminations
by Joachim Boaz
1w ago
Today I’m joined by Rachel S. Cordasco, the creator of the indispensable website and resource Speculative Fiction in Translation, for something a bit different! We will both offer our reviews of one of Kōbō Abe’s first published speculative short stories, “The Flood” (1950). Over the next few months, we’ll post reviews of speculative fiction in translation from Romania, Chile, Austria, Poland, France, and the Netherlands. Depending on the story and our thoughts, I might also include our responses to each other’s review. Also if you haven’t checked out Rachel’s website, you must. Not only does ..read more
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What pre-1985 science fiction are you reading? + Update No. X
Science Fiction and Other Suspect Ruminations
by Joachim Boaz
1w ago
A selection of read volumes from my shelves What pre-1985 science fiction are you reading or planning to read this month? Here’s February’s installment of this column. Before we get to books and birthdays and writing plans… Do you have the inner strength to survive the panic of a nuclear attack? Take a test in the August 21st 1953 issue of Collier’s and find out! Sample question: “HOW DO YOU FEEL WHEN: […] You are alone in an automatic elevator when it stalls between floors?” Possible answers: “I’m not bothered,” “I become tense,” “It jars me badly,” and “I blow up.” In my last c ..read more
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Updates: Recent Science Fiction Purchases No. CCCXXXI (Iain M. Banks, Mike Resnick, Sydney J. Van Scyoc, and David J. Skal)
Science Fiction and Other Suspect Ruminations
by Joachim Boaz
3w ago
Which books/covers/authors in the post intrigue you? Which have you read? Disliked? Enjoyed? 1. Santiago: A Myth of the Far Future, Mike Resnick (1986) Michael Whelan’s cover for the 1st edition From the back cover: “SEBASTIAN NIGHTINGALE CAIN: County hunter. You can call him Songbird–but only once. He’s after Santiago. VIRTUE MECKENZIE: Freelance reporter. She never give up. She wants an interview… with Santiago. THE SWAGMAN: He collects art–at gun point. He wants a few pieces currently in the hands of Santiago. SANTIAGO: Bandit, murderer, known to all, seen by none… has he killed thousan ..read more
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Book Review: John Brunner’s The Squares of the City (1965)
Science Fiction and Other Suspect Ruminations
by Joachim Boaz
3w ago
Murray Tinkelman’s cover for the 1978 edition 4/5 (Good) Nominated for the 1966 Hugo Award for Best Novel John Brunner’s The Squares of the City (1965) transposes the moves of a 1892 chess game between Wilhelm Steinitz (1836-1900) and Mikhail Chigorin (1850-1905) onto a near future landscape of political intrigue. Inspired by Brazil’s planned capital Brasília (founded in 1960), the action takes place in Ciudad de Vados, the capital city of the imaginary Latin American nation of Aguazul.1 Conjured out of a “barren, rocky stretch of land,” Ciudad de Vados contains all the homogeniz ..read more
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What pre-1985 science fiction are you reading? + Update No. IX
Science Fiction and Other Suspect Ruminations
by Joachim Boaz
1M ago
A selection of read volumes from my shelf What pre-1985 science fiction are you reading or planning to read this month? Here’s January’s installment of this column. When I’m not reading science fiction, I’m more often than not devouring history that touches on my decades of focus: 1945-1985. Recently that’s meant lots and lots of monographs on Cold War culture: from fallout shelters, suburbia, to analysis of the drama of morality and terror that characterized nuclear deterrence. And in Guy Oakes’ transfixing The Imaginary War: Civil Defense and American Cold War Culture (1994), I came ..read more
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Book Review: Clifford D. Simak’s Worlds Without End (1964)
Science Fiction and Other Suspect Ruminations
by Joachim Boaz
1M ago
Richard Powers’ cover for the 1st edition 3.25/5 (collated rating: Above Average) I’m a compulsive list maker. In the past few years I’ve gathered and submitted older science fiction short stories that depict worker unions–from Robert Silverberg’s “Guardian Devil” (1959) to Mari Wolf’s “Robots of the World! Arise!” (1952)–to the Hugo Book Club’s fantastic index. It’s about time I finally get around to reviewing a few of my submissions!1 Clifford D. Simak’s collection Worlds Without End (1964) contains two novellas and one short story that appeared in Robert W. Lowndes’ magazines (second/th ..read more
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Short Story Reviews: Howard Waldrop’s “Mary Margaret Road-Grader” (1976), David J. Skal’s “Chains” (1971), and Tom Purdom’s “Courting Time” (1966)
Science Fiction and Other Suspect Ruminations
by Joachim Boaz
2M ago
Howard Waldrop (1946-2024), David J. Skal (1952-2024), and Tom Purdom (1936-2024) all passed away since the beginning of the year. As I’ve only read Howard Waldrop’s “God’s Hooks!” (1982), “My Sweet Lady Jo” (1974), and “The Ugly Chickens” (1980) and Tom Purdom’s “Toys” (1967), I impulsively thought I’d stich together a post featuring a tale by each. Please note that I have not read enough to identify their best work and a negative review is not intended to be a statement about their entire oeuvre and impact on the genre. If you have any fond memories, recommendations for stories, or othe ..read more
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What pre-1985 science fiction are you reading? + Update No. VIII
Joachim Boaz
by Joachim Boaz
2M ago
A selection of science fiction novels from my shelves I hope you’ve gotten off to a great reading start to 2024! What pre-1985 science fiction are you reading this month? If you’re new and curious about my rationale for the perimeters of my site, check out this recent interview and podcast. And follow me on Mastodon if you don’t already as I no longer post on my Twitter account. Also make sure to check out the previous installment of this monthly column And, most importantly, let me know what pre-1985 SF you’ve been reading! The Photograph (with links to revie ..read more
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Book Review: Kate Wilhelm’s The Killer Thing (1967)
Science Fiction and Other Suspect Ruminations
by Joachim Boaz
2M ago
Paul Lehr’s cover for the 1969 edition 4/5 (Good) On the last page of the March 1968 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, readers encountered an anti-Vietnam War petition, signed by science fiction authors, and organized by Kate Wilhelm and Judith Merril [1]. Both organizers incorrectly assumed that 95 percent of the field would sign due to the “global and anti-racist view” they believed guided SF [2]. Yet, on page 44 of the same issue, a pro-war petition organized by Poul Anderson appeared with slightly less signatories. The June 1968 issue of Galaxy placed both lists nex ..read more
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Updates: Holiday Purchases! No. CCCXXIX (George Alec Effinger, Margot Bennett, anthology on Nuclear War, and Michael Conner)
Science Fiction and Other Suspect Ruminations
by Joachim Boaz
2M ago
Time for more holiday finds! Which books/covers/authors intrigue you? Which have you read? Disliked? Enjoyed? 1. When Gravity Fails, George Alec Effinger (1986) Jim Burns’ cover for the 1988 edition From the back cover: “In a decadent world of cheap pleasures and easy death, Marîd Audran has kept his independence and his identity the hard way. Still, like everything else in the Budayeen, he is available …for a price. For a new kind of killer roams the streets of the decadent Arabic ghetto, a madman whose bootlegged personality cartridges range from a sinister James Bond to a sadistic disem ..read more
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