tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897228097627164771.post1500263407992895467..comments2024-02-25T01:34:15.287-07:00Comments on Fred's Place: Gregory Benford: "White Creatures"Fredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10233846613173866140noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897228097627164771.post-56801028748734700092017-12-22T10:22:36.444-07:002017-12-22T10:22:36.444-07:00Gregory: Congratulations! I always enjoy the Doz...Gregory: Congratulations! I always enjoy the Dozois series. Unfortunately I fell behind in my reading and haven't kept up with them lately.<br /><br />By the way, how many short stories are there that are set in the Galactic Center universe? I have read two so far: one is in Far Horizons (mantis and art) and Aspects. Are there any others?Fredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10233846613173866140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897228097627164771.post-67391253728740175442017-12-21T14:06:02.029-07:002017-12-21T14:06:02.029-07:00Yes, all. This year Clarke's BEST OF took my s...Yes, all. This year Clarke's BEST OF took my story from the ExTRASOLAR volume. Haven't heard from any other; last year was in Dozois. I have only a few stories/year now so nice to be in at all.<br />Gregoryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09507537950789426671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897228097627164771.post-74813245325401812052017-12-19T08:00:58.545-07:002017-12-19T08:00:58.545-07:00Gregory, all? I know a few from online discussion...Gregory, all? I know a few from online discussion groups who subscribe to one, like me, but not more. Is there any particular BEST OF volume that select your short stories?<br /><br />Yes, it's probably the BEST OF volumes and the BEST OF (AUTHOR) volumes that most readers go for. I read somewhere that readership in the mags is declining. Sad. I love short stories. My first real acquaintance with SF was with short story anthologies way back when--the Grof Conklin collections. I think I still have a few old decaying copies around here somewhere. Fredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10233846613173866140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897228097627164771.post-74185742795287881032017-12-18T12:38:19.948-07:002017-12-18T12:38:19.948-07:00Fred, I loyally get ALL the sf mags, even Interzon...Fred, I loyally get ALL the sf mags, even Interzone... but few online ones. I want the mags to survive. Just had another story picked up for one of the BEST OFs, the best way to gain readership, & where I suppose most short story readers go, not the mags.Gregoryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09507537950789426671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897228097627164771.post-33615176829557097012017-12-16T08:47:28.926-07:002017-12-16T08:47:28.926-07:00Gregory, Yes very different from what Analog usua...Gregory, Yes very different from what Analog usually handles. I suspect the BEST OF anthologies are now the most common way readers get to read short stories. I subscribe only to F&SF Magazine and none of my SF friends subscribe to any mags. Fredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10233846613173866140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897228097627164771.post-89676410005673998852017-12-15T12:30:42.090-07:002017-12-15T12:30:42.090-07:00Just recalled that I also dictated one of my more ...Just recalled that I also dictated one of my more popular stories, "Doing Lennon," about a week later than this story. Sent it to Analog & new editor Ben Bova bought it--very atypical Analog type, he remarked.It and "White Creatures" were both in some BEST OF anthologies, a good break for me. Gregoryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09507537950789426671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897228097627164771.post-47645563793812917252017-12-03T22:39:41.221-07:002017-12-03T22:39:41.221-07:00Dictation made me compress more, as I recall. Mayb...Dictation made me compress more, as I recall. Maybe I should try it again...tho write few short stories any more.Gregoryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09507537950789426671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897228097627164771.post-86527261674571747562017-12-03T01:00:43.991-07:002017-12-03T01:00:43.991-07:00Gregory, do you think dictation made any differen...Gregory, do you think dictation made any difference in your stories? Fredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10233846613173866140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897228097627164771.post-6740813348750665252017-12-02T13:46:48.430-07:002017-12-02T13:46:48.430-07:00Yes, dictated for only a year or so... then back t...Yes, dictated for only a year or so... then back to my manual typewriter, long abandoned now for computer.Gregoryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09507537950789426671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897228097627164771.post-44414361921300787572017-11-28T08:39:00.343-07:002017-11-28T08:39:00.343-07:00Sharon, yes, a complex issue, probably unique to e...Sharon, yes, a complex issue, probably unique to each person. I read somewhere that we need to know the past, to understand where we are now, and we need to know the present to get some idea of where we are going. Fredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10233846613173866140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897228097627164771.post-5359435034357806102017-11-28T08:36:03.525-07:002017-11-28T08:36:03.525-07:00I gather that you don't usually write by dicta...I gather that you don't usually write by dictation. Fredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10233846613173866140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897228097627164771.post-51026186889265342842017-11-27T19:56:37.908-07:002017-11-27T19:56:37.908-07:00That's a good question. I suppose it would de...That's a good question. I suppose it would depend on the reasons why they are rooted in the past or future. There could be healthy reasons but also unhealthy ones.<br /><br />A healthy one is to live with hope and optimism and also to enjoy remembrance of joyful past experiences.<br /><br />But there are unrealistic expectations and rooting one's whole sense of well being on what might never come to pass in this world (an inheritance for instance).<br /><br />Then there are people who live inside their past tragedies. A case of arrested development.<br /><br />Since actual reality is only mili seconds long. We are mostly living in the abstract but it all needs to be connected: past, present, future. If we lose that connection, I think, is when we are no longer grounded.Sharon Wilfonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17466621290140789056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897228097627164771.post-67683742753909592752017-11-27T19:07:41.944-07:002017-11-27T19:07:41.944-07:00I wrote it by dictation, too. Was busy setting up ...I wrote it by dictation, too. Was busy setting up the high energy density lab at UCI, under pressure from a $1 million grant in 1975...Gregoryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09507537950789426671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897228097627164771.post-32006502444229487062017-11-27T19:04:27.594-07:002017-11-27T19:04:27.594-07:00Sharon, I agree. Merrick is drawn to both Erika ...Sharon, I agree. Merrick is drawn to both Erika and to the zen master, even though he rejects both for his own POV. What about those rooted in the past and the future? <br /><br />It's a complex issue. Fredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10233846613173866140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897228097627164771.post-57479241157295223862017-11-27T18:55:53.857-07:002017-11-27T18:55:53.857-07:00Gregory, one afternoon? That's a very comple...Gregory, one afternoon? That's a very complex tale, and it took me several readings to get a feel for what was going on. <br /><br />The first paragraphs had me locked into the "alien abduction" scene, and while I realized somewhere in the middle that I was off on the wrong track, I still couldn't get beyond that scenario. <br /><br />Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Fredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10233846613173866140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897228097627164771.post-63398571969530434862017-11-27T14:19:10.989-07:002017-11-27T14:19:10.989-07:00This is an interesting story. There are two kinds...This is an interesting story. There are two kinds of people, those in the here and now and those who look beyond, although I think we are all a mix of both.<br /><br />It's a question of purpose and meaning, I believe. Some avoid the question by staying rooted in the present, or at least that is my observation. I could be wrong.<br /><br />Great review!Sharon Wilfonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17466621290140789056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897228097627164771.post-60428834530300676172017-11-26T23:23:58.449-07:002017-11-26T23:23:58.449-07:00I rather like your analysis. I wrote that story in...I rather like your analysis. I wrote that story in one afternoon, BTW, trying to compress the tension I felt between my own Zen practice at the time (hi Mudpuddle!) and karate and astrophysics, all together. Astronomers know they are mayflies compared to what they study. I wanted to catch that contrast. Gregoryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09507537950789426671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897228097627164771.post-44856866901082059662017-11-26T19:06:10.639-07:002017-11-26T19:06:10.639-07:00R.T., both Benford and Wolfe have written a number...R.T., both Benford and Wolfe have written a number of short works, so it's possible that you may have read some of them. Fredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10233846613173866140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897228097627164771.post-2667247079644230542017-11-26T13:57:53.164-07:002017-11-26T13:57:53.164-07:00Fred, your excellent posting is seductive enough t...Fred, your excellent posting is seductive enough that my next library excursion will include two names on my wish list: Benford and Wolfe. I have a vague notion that I’ve encountered one or both previously but cannot now remember specifics. Well, thanks for a superb review and posting.RTDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17113953356514605424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897228097627164771.post-89851795627109784252017-11-25T19:00:50.073-07:002017-11-25T19:00:50.073-07:00Mudpuddle, I figured you would glom onto him. Tha...Mudpuddle, I figured you would glom onto him. That haiku (and also a short poem by one of the hermit poets of China) would fit his point of view. I wonder if it's an coincidence that Gene Wolfe is another of my favorite writers today. <br /><br />He does cover the range of POVs and does it mostly by showing, not telling. Fredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10233846613173866140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897228097627164771.post-74999182674278180392017-11-25T18:53:26.486-07:002017-11-25T18:53:26.486-07:00Brian, yes, for a short story Benford manages to p...Brian, yes, for a short story Benford manages to pack a lot in. <br />This story is found his recent anthology, _The Best of Benford_, which is an excellent introduction to his short works.<br /> <br />Benford is one of my favorites, which may account for the nineteen posts on him on my blog. Fredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10233846613173866140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897228097627164771.post-17338052379816861932017-11-25T15:23:10.341-07:002017-11-25T15:23:10.341-07:00nice choice for a post... naturally, me being zen...nice choice for a post... naturally, me being zen oriented, i glommed onto the meditator in the courtyard; what he said is the basis for haiku, and is illustrated by "the finger pointing at the moon"... but the journey Benford takes covers the gamut of human knowledge and experience, it sounds like; from one pov, anyway... somehow, your description partakes a little of Gene Wolfe; i usually see some zennie possibilities poking through his writings...Mudpuddlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17194891656971454279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-897228097627164771.post-37863211761496299332017-11-25T13:53:18.878-07:002017-11-25T13:53:18.878-07:00Great commentary on this book. It sounds really go...Great commentary on this book. It sounds really good. I love science fiction explorations into what I consider "big" subjects. I like them even better when they touch on philosophy. <br /><br />I have read a little Gregory Benford. He is a skilled science fiction writer. Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.com