Ever since the success of Bacigalupi’s Windup Girl, I’ve been meaning to read both it and Ship Breaker. It turns out I finished the latter almost a year to the day since it was released. I’m not sure how it justifies the young adult tag it’s given — it’s brutal, bloody, violent, and depressing, and while I do think it’s a good book, it makes me wonder about what exactly comprises YA fiction these days.
Book Review: “Ship Breaker” by Paolo Bacigalupi
Posted in book, escape pod, nonfiction, review, sci-fi, writing, ya
Tagged dystopian, paolo bacigalupi, review, ship breaker, ya, young adult
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The Soundproof Escape Pod #7
My article “Speculative Fiction and Engagement Marketing” was reprinted in this month’s Soundproof Escape Pod.
“Man Eat Man” by Mike Irwin
My first performance for Escape Artists, “Man Eat Man”, is now available at Pseudopod. It’s a horror story, and is not for young ears.
Posted in audio, escape artists, narration, pseudopod
Tagged horror, man eat man, mike irwin, podcast, pseudopod, zombies
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Speculative Fiction and Engagement Marketing
I think it’s fair to say that speculative fiction has been hitting the “convincing people to vote for stuff using futuristic means” trope for a few decades now. From stories about voting how to kill people (or whether or not they should be killed) to more contemporary pieces about putting oneself up on the internet and taking votes and commentary on one’s entire day, the very concept isn’t exactly new.
Posted in article, escape pod, nonfiction, writing
Tagged american gods, engagement marketing, facebook, marketing, neil gaiman, twitter, voting
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“The Battle Of Leila The Dog” by Rick Kennett
My voice appears briefly in Episode 100 of the Dunesteef.
Episode 100: The Battle Of Leila The Dog by Rick Kennett « The Dunesteef Audio Fiction Magazine
Book Review: “Nascence” by Tobias S. Buckell
Posted in book, collection/anthology, escape pod, nonfiction, nonfiction, review, writing
Tagged nascence, review, tobias buckell, tobias s buckell
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Book Review: “Seize the Fire” by Michael A. Martin
Posted in book, escape pod, nonfiction, review, sci-fi, writing
Tagged gorn, michael a. martin, review, riker, seize the fire, star trek, titan, tuvok, typhon pact
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“Grail Diving in Shangrilla with the World’s Last Mime” by Ken Scholes (part 2)
My narration of part two of Ken Scholes’s “Grail Diving in Shangrilla with the World’s Last Mime” is now live on Starship Sofa. Click here to listen.
“Grail Diving in Shangrilla with the World’s Last Mime” by Ken Scholes (part 1)
My latest narration – of the Ken Scholes short-story “Grail Diving in Shangrilla with the World’s Last Mime” – is a two-parter on Starship Sofa. Part one has just been posted at the link above.
“Grail Diving in Shangrilla with the World’s Last Mime”, Part 1
The Soundproof Escape Pod #6
My review of Dancing With Bears has been republished in this month’s Soundproof Escape Pod, along with some short-stories that are definitely worth your time. The magazine is free for your e-reading device.
Book Review: “Soft Apocalypse” by Will McIntosh
Apocalypse fiction has been around for many years, usually in the form of a cataclysmic event — asteroid impact, nuclear bomb, giant space squid — that destroys a good chunk of the entire planet and leaves the survivors to fend for themselves in a world gone mad.
But after reading Will McIntosh’s new novel Soft Apocalypse, I can tell you that sitting in the belly of an intergalactic Sarlacc might actually be better than the road we’re on now.
Posted in book, nonfiction, review, sci-fi, writing
Tagged georgia, Japan, middle east, night shade books, review, sarlacc, savannah, soft apocalypse, wal-mart, Will McIntosh
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Book Review: “Dancing with Bears” by Michael Swanwick
Posted in book, fantasy, nonfiction, review, sci-fi, urban, writing
Tagged dancing with bears, darger, fantasy, michael swanwick, moscow, review, russia, surplus
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Book Review: “Agatha H. and the Airship City”, by Phil and Kaja Foglio
Agatha H., in one sentence: it’s a fun book. I immensely enjoyed reading it. It’s a madcap comic adventure combined with steampunk (or “gaslamp”, as the authors say on their site), a little Bas-Lag, and some well-used adventure fantasy tropes. The dialogue is funny and sharply-written — to be expected from authors who make popular comic strips — and the world is complex and fully-realized.
Posted in book, escape pod, fantasy, nonfiction, review, writing
Tagged agatha h. and the airship city, foglio, gaslamp, girl genius, review, steampunk, webcomic
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It can’t beam me up. Yet.
My comparison of Star Trek communicators to the HTC Evo has been posted on Escape Pod. Enjoy.
Posted in article, escape pod, nonfiction, writing
Tagged cellphone, communicator, evo, htc, star trek, technology
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The Soundproof Escape Pod #5
My review of China Mieville’s “Kraken” has been reprinted in the latest issue of The Soundproof Escape Pod. It’s free for the digital reading device of your choice.
Book Review: “Rough Beasts of Empire” by David R. George III
Posted in book, nonfiction, review, sci-fi, writing
Tagged david r. george iii, review, romulan, rough beasts of empire, sisko, spock, star trek, typhon pact, tzenkethi
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Book Review: “Zero Sum Game” by David Mack
Posted in book, escape pod, nonfiction, review, sci-fi, writing
Tagged aventine, bashir, breen, david mack, dax, deep space nine, destiny, review, star trek, typhon pact, zero sum game
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Book Review: “Kraken” by China Mieville
There’s a loldog present in my review of China Mieville’s “Kraken”. You can guess which one it is.
Posted in book, escape pod, fantasy, nonfiction, review, urban, writing
Tagged china mieville, giant squid, kraken, review
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Josh Roseman: Writer, Voice Guy, Dad, Human 
Tens
So here’s something interesting – the use of the word “tens” to describe a group of groups. You don’t see tens being used very often, except sarcastically (ie: “literally tens of people came to my show at the local rock venue”). Or in the That’s As Many As Four Tens meme.
In an article as positive as this – workers (NFL players) organizing to stay in shape and remain a cohesive unit even though their jobs may not exist this coming year – it’s interesting to me that the author would choose to use tens instead of, say, dozens.
I think the only really valid use for tens would be if there were 20, 21, 22, or 23 players being trained by Gaines. Otherwise, why not say dozens? A, it sounds like a lot more; B, it sounds more positive; and C, if he has 24 or more clients, then it’s not a lie – 24 is two dozen, which is more than one dozen. Therefore, dozens.
I can’t ever see myself using tens in my writing, except (as I said) in a sarcastic fashion. But that’s just me.
Player-led workouts gaining steam, organization – Shutdown Corner – NFL Blog – Yahoo! Sports