J.R.R. Tolkien, Author of the Century, by Tom Shippey #15in2015

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J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the CenturyJ.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century by Tom Shippey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book 13 in #15in2015

It’s deeply pleasing to read about the language Tolkien uses in his work. Not the one he created, which this book barely touches on, but the old words, names, and place names that he drew on when he wrote.

Having studied in the same field at Professor Tolkien, the author is well-placed to talk about the complexities, structure, and foundation of Tolkien’s work. It’s clear he’s irritated at the literary critics who dismiss Lord of the Rings as having no value at all, but in his effort to prove them so completely wrong that they’ve missed the greatest work of the 20th Century, he presents an excellent argument for the artistic merit in Tolkien’s work.

Is Tolkien the “Author of the Century”? Well, no. Is his work powerful, complex, and of literary value? Absolutely. If you can bear to read through Shippey’s gripes about the literati and can skim through some tedious analysis of the professor’s lesser works, this book is a source of sublime pleasure.

Buy this book

Back to drafting new fiction

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As I mentioned on Twitter, yesterday I wrote the first sentence of my next book. Here it is:

On the summer solstice in the year 402 of the New Calendar, Chatayzik ward-Safroy de-Safroy, admir-Safroy hold-Safroy slipped into his own funeral in disguise.

Actually, that’s a revised version of that first sentence, because first sentences get changed over and over.

I was planning to write a second sentence today (or maybe even two!) but my wife has injured her knee and I’m taking care of her. I still have time to type (obviously) but first chapters require a lot of concentration. But who knows, I might manage something later.

For the record, this is the first new novel fiction I’ve drafted since August, 2013. Since then, I’ve written some short fiction, revised the hell out of The Great Way and Key/Egg, and done endless promotional work, including 40+K worth of blog tour and 50K worth of game supplement. But no new novels.

It feels a) good and b) nerve-wracking. I’ve done this before, right? I don’t have to feel intimidated by my own work, right? Right.

Also, I’ve sold the audio rights to The Great Way. If you want to be notified when that becomes available, sign up for the newsletter in the sidebar of my blog.

HumbleBundle Progress

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So, the books/Kickstarter Humble Bundle that started last Wednesday is creeping up on $55K. That’s pretty good, I’m guessing. They also gave me a widget to post:

[Widget and link removed, because the Humble Bundle is over.]

Hmf. I don’t know that I like that one much. I mean, it shows the number of backers and the countdown, but not the work that’s being offered. It’s funny, adventurous, political, and simply beautiful to look at. And on the 22nd, more books will be added.

Also, the cost of the “average” level is continually going up. If you’re not getting the top tier stuff, it’s cost effective to buy in now.

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Ant-Man

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ANT-MAN is funny.

It’s not the most hilarious movie ever made, but it does rise above the typical poo-faces portentousness of most superhero films. Contrasted with the BATMAN V SUPERMAN trailer before it, it looks surprisingly friendly and human.

It helps that they include cameos from the most charismatic actors in other shows, but it’s not overloaded with them, the way AGE OF ULTRON was. It also helps that the show takes its absurd premise and has a good time with it.

Still, it’s missing much of Edgar Wright’s visual style, even if he is co-credited with the script. The sight gags are great, but the film also has a bit of that “Best Lines Improvised On Set” feel that modern comedies have. Unfortunately.

I’d compare it to WRECK-IT RALPH, a terrific movie that cam late in a trend of other terrific movies, when the genre wasn’t so shiny and new any more. It’s still a good movie, even if it doesn’t feel revelatory.

Important: There are *two* post-credit sequences.

The Kickstarter Humble Bundle is live

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[Update: links removed because the Humble Bundle is over.]

Hey, you guys, did you know that my Great Way trilogy is part of a Humble Bundle devoted to Kickstarter projects?

Also included:

    That Julie Dillon fantasy art book.
    The Choose-Your-Own Adventure Hamlet
    Issue #33 of John Joseph Adams’ Nightmare Magazine
    A new Michael J. Sullivan novel
    A Steampunk anthology that focused on protagonists from outside the US and Great Britain
    A humorous Greg Pak comics anthology
    A superhero comics parody
    A zombie apocalypse comic set in 1943 Soviet Union

And more. I mean, obviously, there’s much more there.

Several of these were projects I wanted to back but couldn’t, for a variety of reasons. Now is my chance to grab a copy, and help charity, too.

If you’ve been meaning to try my work, or if you just like really sweet deals, check it out.

Randomness for 7/13

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1) Why do people go bald? Video

2) A conversation between graffiti artists and removers.

3) Fearless girl rips out own tooth with a slingbow. ::faints::

4) The names of ten fireworks effects.

5) Assigned to write an essay about a “leader” a group of teens decide to stand out from the pack and contact gangster Whitey Bulger in prison. He wrote back.

6) Ten Paintings of Guy Fieri as a Renaissance Baby.

7) The Detective As Speech. “An early letter I received after publishing my first book, Indemnity Only, came from a woman who wanted to know why V. I. Warshawski was allowed to “talk back” to men without being punished. The writer wasn’t seeking help in learning to talk back herself; she was criticizing V. I. for behaving in a way that was neither right nor natural.” h/t James Nicoll

In which I have an honest to god hallucination

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My back pain is still ongoing, and the usual steps I take to manage things have not been terribly effective. That sort of pain is draining, and I’ve been falling asleep at odd times.

Like yesterday afternoon, when I fell into bed and lay there like a stone in a riverbed.

But when I woke up, I was astonished to see the biggest spider I’ve ever seen in my life (and Seattle has some bigass spiders) crawling along a horizontal thread over my bed. With it’s legs curled around it as it moved, it was about the size of a tennis ball. It was so big I shouted “WOW!”

My wife heard from the other room and rushed to find out what had happened. By the time she got there, the spider had become indistinct and then disappeared. It was a hypnopompic hallucination, something I’ve never had before.

That was hard to explain to her, in part because she was standing beside the bed asking me what was wrong before I understood how to answer. It was only later that I thought I might be afraid of the spider, that it might have dropped down a web line toward me, but then I think spiders are cool.

Rats, on the other hand…

The Hero-Free Zone: revisiting Conan the Barbarian (1982)

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Having just enjoyed a birthday re-watch of the LOTR movies on July 2nd, I saw the original John Milius Conan had appeared on Netflix and turned it on. What the hell, right? Why not?

I first saw it in the theater when I was a teenager, and liked it a lot, although I didn’t love it. I think the problem was that I just wasn’t that impressed by the villains.

However, decades later, I was struck by something else: at no point in this movie does Conan act like a hero.

Spoilers, obviously. Continue reading

Twelve years from hobbyist to pro

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Want to check out an excellent post for people who a) like cool artwork and b) want to be a professional in a creative field? Well, here you go:

How I Became an Artist: The 12 year journey of my art thus far.

Takeaway: At the start, he wasn’t much better than me. Maybe a little better. At the end, he’s creating art so cool that it’s downright spooky.

But there’s no mention of the word talent–except once, in quote marks. All he talks about is hard work, and education. When he was starting out, he found a useful community for mutual support and critique. As he continued, he took classes, worked on techniques to improve the places he felt weak, continued to strengthen his strong points, and he practiced like whoa.

It’s a reflection of the growth mindset discussed in (among many others) this Atlantic article: Don’t Call Kids Smart. The way to find success is to force yourself to grow and improve, and to expect it to take a long time and a lot of work.

This is important. Too many people would look at the art at the bottom of that page, think how talented! and assume his ability to create that artwork comes from some spooky inborn trait. It doesn’t. It’s just hard work and self-education.

This is something I’m trying to impart to my son. It doesn’t have to be art; it can be anything. You suck at things when you start out, and you get better over time. With extra effort, you get really good. That’ what it takes.

Outside the Protection of the Law

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Nowadays, an “outlaw” is someone whose behavior is not bound by the rule of law. They’re criminals. Rebels!

But that’s not the original meaning of the word. It used to mean a person who was no longer receiving the protection of the law. They’d been, essentially, banished from civilization. Anything could be done to them because they were outside the law. That was their punishment.

Supposedly, civilized people don’t do this anymore. When someone does something awful, we might punish them, but they deserve the same protections that everyone gets.

Especially when it comes to doxing.

If someone is committing a crime, it’s reasonable to share their real name and personal information with the authorities, but posting it online? No. Even if that person is an abusive asshole and an all-around shithole of a human being. Even if you hate that person with the power of a million cats hating a million dogs. Even if that person seems like the embodiment of evil.

No to doxing your friends. No to doxing your enemies. No one deserves to be outside this rule.

And if you don’t know what I’m talking about, consider yourself fortunate and look at some cute animal pictures.