Walttriznastories's Blog

1. While browsing through various New Dimension anthologies I’ve procured recently (stay tuned for an all New Dimension post), I found a few names that I hadn’t heard of… I impulsively purchased A. A. Attanasio’s first novel–nominated for the 1982 Nebula Award.

2. I’ve read and reviewed a few short stories and novels by Robert Holdstock over the years. Eye Among the Blind (1976) had promise. And before I jump into his most famous works, I thought I’d explore more of his short stories first.

3. More Japanese SF in translation! This novel takes place in a vast underground hospital complex. COUNT ME IN!

4. Not sure what possessed me to grab this Curtis Books edition of an author those stories were rarely anthologized… oh wait, it included the words “overpopulation.” If you haven’t yet, check out my list of overpopulation-themed SF.

All the images are hi-res scans of…

the egotist’s wall
made over believers’ graves
nothing is sacred
to a madman’s childish dreams
except the mirror’s image

Vintage SF novels in translation from Japan! Germany! Austria! France!

1. I’ve wanted Kōbō Abe’s SF novel Inter Ice Age 4 for a long while…. If you’re curious, check out Admiral.Ironbombs’ fantastic review. I’m a huge fan of Abe’s non-SF works–for example, The Woman in the Dunes (1962). And of course, all the Japanese film adaptations of his novels directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara…. (which Abe wrote the screenplays for): IMDB link.

Tangent: If you haven’t seen Teshigahara’s 1966 adaptation of Abe’s SF novel The Face of Another (1964), you must! At the very least, browse the stills….

2. My second novel by Franke…. and I’m a few pages in and absolutely intrigued–the plot blurb I include below should tantalize virtually any SF fan. Stay tuned for a review (although it might be in a few weeks).

3. Wolfgang Jeschke’s The Last Day of Creation certainly has the most outrageous…

the chalice was filled
with the warm blood of children
during morning prayers
for they were non-believers
non-believers in your god
your god’s the true one
but does your god fear children
are not divine words
enough to sway young minds or
are you the non-believer

a new flood
of
hatred
hatred
that has washed
over
our nation
and
our world
it
has left
in its wake
an unrecognizable
wasteland
where
the bloated corpse
of
the great experiment
in
freedom
has been dashed
against
the rocks
of
ignorance
pushed there
by
a current
of
data points
from
political
consulting firms

scrape the surface
of
ancient layers
of
life’s mud
and then
clear away
broken remnants
of history
from
hope’s vacant lot
a lot
strewn
with
the trash
of
shredded lies
and
uncover
the specter
of
mass murder
human
sacrifices
children
buried
in shallow graves
violent
sacrifices
to
an array
of
gods
gods
all
cast
in the image
of
those
who declare
that
their
god
is
the
only
true god
gods
that are
wrapped
in
patriotic
or
religious
flags
godly causes
less
than divine
and
perhaps
more
commercial
or
ego based
thus
one must
gently brush away
the loose sand
of
alibis
to
expose
the skeletal remains
hidden in
the mass burial sites
sites
in
palestine
yemen
sudan
and
along
the
american border
where
one sees
the splayed
bodies
of
children
victims
offered
in
carefully orchestrated
acts
of
ritual sacrifice
to
appease
human greed

used as war’s weapons
depleted uranium
children’s cancer deaths
said not to be related
as was smoking cigarettes