INTERACTION

Thanks very much for the article on Theodore Sturgeon. The first science fiction author I discovered when a kid was Ray Bradbury, and I loved his stuff. Then I picked up a copy of 'E Pluribus Unicorn' by Sturgeon and while I found his imagination to be the equal of Bradbury's, his emotional punch was something I hadn't experienced before. Now, as a writer/editor, I know about torturing one's characters, but Sturgeon was the first author I read who really did that. The stories in that book were almost too powerful to read, but I couldn't stop myself - the prose was so good. He, perhaps more than any other science fiction author, made me anti-establishment in literary terms, because I thought his technical ability was the equal (for the most part - certainly some stories appeared rushed and erratic) of most so-called 'proper' authors, while his themes were way superior, and hated the way he was ignored by his so-called betters.

I knew very little about Sturgeon as a man, only that he'd travelled a lot and worked at all kinds of jobs that informed his stories. So, it was great to see a long piece on the man, and to learn more about his character, as well as some of his vanities (which all add to the richness, of course). I had the impression this was a difficult article for Harlan Ellison to write (well, he said it was, in fact), so thanks to him for doing so. When I was reading a lot of classic science fiction, back in the 1960s/70s, there was nothing like the information we have today on writers - no internet, radio or TV coverage - so mostly all we knew was what we gleaned from the stories themselves. Which, where a lot of authors are concerned, is no bad thing, but Ellison's article shows that in Sturgeon's case, the man himself was a great story worth telling too.

Kord

Thanks for the comments, Kord!

A blog review of Interzone #210 here.

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In the Plane of the Ecliptic

Yes, this 210 is a wonderful issue. I'm still reading the fiction, but several stories (including Steve Murphy's "Tearing Down Tuesday") are true standouts. And the Ellison essay was incredibly insightful and well written (as would be expected of his work).

Sam Tomaino of SFRevu reviews Interzone #210 here.

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In the Plane of the Ecliptic

Just beat me to it Jetse. Probably a good job you did because otherwise I might've complained about the bandwidth theft!

Very strong issue: Ackers and Cleary the stand outs, but I enjoyed them all.

Thanks, Jason. Glad you liked it.

Respects,
S. F. Murphy
Corpus Christi or Bust!

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On the Outer Marches

Not quite finished reading 210 yet, but I had to speak up about Rachel's brilliant story. After the swashbuckling space opera The Final Voyage of La Riazza (which I thought was fun), Rachel's short blew the former away. It is powerful, strange, and real. I can't remember reading such a striking story in a while. This is an author that's going places....

Review of Interzone #210 on Tangent Online.

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In the Plane of the Ecliptic

Tim Akers, it is too bad you couldn't have made it. They'd have been happy to have you for the reading. You are more than welcome in the future.

Here are some pics from my reading, if anyone is interested.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/37435195@N00/

I was afraid there'd be crickets. But I actually had a crowd.

Video should be available next week sometime.

Respects,
S. F. Murphy
Back in Missouri

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On the Outer Marches

Yeah, I'm pretty bummed it didn't work out. Glad you had a good reading, and looking forward to the video.

I highly recommend having your copy of IZ 210 before you turned to scene one of the story with the mute button on when the video is rolling. The sound of my own voice can be a bit grating.

Next time, Tim. Next time.

It'd be neat to transform Kansas City into a sort of Central Vortex for American based Interzone writers.

Respects,
S. F. Murphy
Umm, back in Missouri, btw.

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On the Outer Marches

And here is the video a friend of mine shot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Crn182UlaC0

I pimped IZ 210 best I could. All ten copies there sold out so a tip of the beanie to Andy to making it possible.

Respects,
S. F. Murphy
Back in Missouri

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On the Outer Marches

Preachers by Tim Lees reviewed by SF Gospel.

Thanks Murph! Heading there now