Blog - Page 4 of 33 - Gary David Gillen

Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi

Introduction

Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi is, as he names it in the Author’s Note, a reimagining of the story and events of the novel Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper. Scalzi updates the story to contemporary sensibilities. Jack Holloway is an independent prospector on the planet Zara XXIII. His companion is his bomb-detonating dog named Carl. They find a new mine worth a lot of money for him and Zarathustra Corporation. The problem is when he discovers a new species or better yet when they discover him. If the species he calls Fuzzys proves to be sentient, he and Zara Corp lose the right to exploit the planet. Will Jack choose to get filthy rich or protect the new species?

Summary

Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi starts with Jack Holloway prospecting on the planet Zara XXIII with his dog named Carl. They cause an ecological disaster which is noticed by Jack’s ZaraCorp contractor rep named Chad Bourne. Chad threatens to end Jack’s contract. Jack finds a valuable mine because of the disaster and will profit greatly but he runs into a problem.

Back at Jack’s tree house in the middle of the jungle, he encounters a being. He can’t decide if it is more like a monkey, dog, or cat. It might be smarter than that. If the being is sentient, then he stands to lose his rich find because the law will give it to the beings which he calls Fuzzys.

Jack enlists the aid of biologist Isobel Wangai and xeno-linguist Dr. Arnold Chen to figure out if the Fuzzys are sentient.

He faces off with the representatives at ZaraCorp and brings the issue of sentience to the planetary court. Jack believes they are sentient while ZaraCorp thinks they are wild animals. The conclusion proceeds from there.

Recommendation

Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi is a contemporary retelling of the story found in H. Beam Piper’s novel Little Fuzzy. I have read both novels and I enjoyed the added elements that Scalzi had added. The corporate plot is like the movie Avatar, though Avatar was probably inspired by Little Fuzzy in the first place. This novel reads like a remake of a movie. I’m glad I read it.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9647532-fuzzy-nation

Zoes Tale by John Scalzi is the fourth book in the Old Man’s War series. This novel tells the events from the previous novel, The Last Colony, from the point of view of Zoe Boutin Perry.

Zoes Tale by John Scalzi

Last Colony by John Scalzi is the third book in the Old Man’s War series. John Perry and his family colonized a new planet. Can he protect the colony, or will the colony perish leading to the extermination of humanity?

Last Colony by John Scalzi

Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi is the second book in the Old Man’s War series. Jared Dirac is a clone with another man’s memories. He must save humanity from three allied alien races determined to destroy humanity.

Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi

Old Man’s War is the first novel in the Old Man’s War series. This is the link to my review.

Old Man’s War by John Scalzi

Writing Progress Report August 2024

Writing Progress Report August 2024.

This is my Writing Progress Report August 2024.

I attended the Confluence Conference near Pittsburgh, PA, on July 26, 2024, to July 28, 2024.

Writing Progress from July 2024.

I wrote three blog posts for my website, garydavidgillen.com. One of the posts was my writing progress report for July 2024, which is linked below.

Writing Progress Report July 2024

In July 2024, there was no submission to the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call. We are taking a break until August 2024.

Writing Progress from July 2024 Continued

I made five posts on my Goodreads account in July 2024.

In the past, I submitted the stories; Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, and Grognard to magazines.

The seven Flash Fiction Stories I submitted in 2020 and 2021 were Space-Dog Confession, Sleeping Sickness, Caliburnus, Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, Wormhole Generator, Runs with Scissors, and Principled Rogue.

Magazine submissions for 2021 were 4 unique stories submitted 4 times, with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 4 rejections. No submissions for 2022. None for 2023.

Events from July 2024.

I attended the Confluence Conference near Pittsburgh, PA, on July 26, 2024, to July 28, 2024. They held the conference at the Sheraton Pittsburgh Airport Hotel in Coraopolis, PA. I attended the Confluence in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, and 2023.

The link to the Confluence website.

https://confluence-sff.org

Writing Goals for August 2024.

In August 2024, I plan to write five blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my Writing Progress Report for August 2024.

I plan to work on a story for the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call in August 2024.

Eventually, I plan to work on third draft edits for Assassin in New Marl City using comments from the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio. I plan to split Chapter 1 into two chapters and add a scene to the new chapter 1.

Submit the stories Space-Dog Confession, Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, LARP Film noir, Sleeping Sickness, Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, and Caliburnus. to other short fiction magazines.

Polish and submit the stories White Bracer, Mage Squad, I Shall Not Return, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.

In August 2024, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.

Planned Events for August 2024.

The next event I plan to attend is the Cleveland Inkubator at the Cleveland Public Library on September 21, 2024. Literary Cleveland sponsors it. It is a one-day writing conference.

Solaris by Stanislaw Lem

Introduction

Solaris by Stanislaw Lem is a science fiction story that explores the themes of communication, sense of self, and reality. It is a stand-alone novel. Kris Kelvin is a psychologist who must discover what is happening with the researchers on the Solaris space station. The Solaris Station is orbiting a planet with a world-sized entity they name Ocean who the scientists are unsuccessfully trying to communicate with. Will Kris understand what is happening with the Solaris entity before it is too late, and all the researchers are dead?

Summary

[Insert Summary Here]

Recommendation

[Insert Recommendation here]

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Solaris by Stanislaw Lem.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51077757-solaris

The title story of Stories of Your Life’s theme is like Solaris; contact with an unknowable alien entity.

Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang

My review of Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang is an eight-story SF short story collection. It was made into the movie Arrival. The title story explores the similar theme of first alien contact.

Thinner by Stephen King

Introduction

Thinner by Stephen King is a supernatural thriller fantasy novel that was originally published under the author’s pseudonym, Richard Bachman. Attorney Billy Halleck has been heavy for most of his adult life. A series of events leads to him killing an old gypsy woman with his car. Billy has powerful friends and receives a light sentence. The woman’s father puts a gypsy curse on him by saying one word, thinner. Billy loses weight no matter what he does, and it will not stop. Can Billy reverse the curse, or will he wither and die?

Summary

Billy Halleck is a defense attorney with a wife, Heidi, and a daughter, Linda. He’s overweight and enjoys life. He’s driving and Heidi distracts him which leads to him hitting and killing an old gypsy woman.

Billy avoids punishment by the law because police officer Duncan Hopley and judge Cary Rossington favors him. That infuriates the woman’s father, Taduz Lemke, so he curses each one of them with a special curse. The word he says to Billy is thinner.

Billy begins to lose weight no matter how much he eats. He tracks the gypsy band across New England to get Lemke to reverse the curse. Billy enlists his client, mobster Richie Ginelli, to help him.

Billy and Lemke meet. Some curses can’t be broken, so they find another solution.

Recommendation

Thinner by Stephen King was an enjoyable read, but what made the novel great for me was the last sentence. The last sentence changed the meaning of the novel for me and was perfect for the story. I find the history of this novel interesting. They published the novel under the name Richard Bachman like four previously published novels were. On page 117 in my copy, Billy’s doctor says the way Billy tells it sounds like he is in a Stephen King book. The funny thing is that he was. King used the alias to publish more than one book in the years he had more. Someone discovered the deception, so King stopped using the alias. He also fictionalized his feelings about writing as another person and getting caught in the novel, The Dark Half.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Thinner by Stephen King.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/147336843-thinner-by-stephen-king

Under the Dome by Stephen King begins with a dome covering Chester’s Mill. Who made the Dome, and will the people trapped inside it escape before they all die?

Under the Dome by Stephen King

Drawing of the Three by Stephen King, book #2 of The Dark Tower series, features Roland, Eddie Dean, and Odetta Holmes. Roland gets one step closer to reaching the Dark Tower.

Drawing of the Three by Stephen King

The Gunslinger by Stephen King, book #1 of The Dark Tower series, seemed to set up for a climax that never happened. What is there is a trippy and metaphysical non-ending.

The Gunslinger by Stephen King

Writing Progress Report July 2024

This is my Writing Progress Report July 2024.

I visited the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo with my son on Father’s Day, June 16, 2024.

Writing Progress from June 2024.

I wrote three blog posts for my website, garydavidgillen.com. One post was my writing progress report for June 2024, linked below.

Writing Progress Report June 2024

In June 2024, there was no submission to the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call. We are taking a break until August 2024.

Writing Progress from June 2024 Continued

I made five posts on my Goodreads account in June 2024.

In the past, I submitted the stories; Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, and Grognard to magazines.

Magazine submissions for 2021 were 4 unique stories submitted 4 times, with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 4 rejections. No submissions for 2022. None for 2023.

Events from June 2024.

I did not attend any events in June 2024.

Writing Goals for July 2024.

In July 2024, I plan to write five blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my Writing Progress Report for July 2024.

I plan to work on a story for the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call in August 2024.

Submit the stories Space-Dog Confession, Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, LARP Film Noir, Sleeping Sickness, Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, and Caliburnus. to other short fiction magazines.

Polish and submit the stories White Bracer, Mage Squad, I Shall Not Return, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.

In July 2024, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.

Planned Events for July 2024.

The next event I plan to attend is the Confluence Conference near Pittsburgh, PA, from July 26, 2024, to July 28, 2024. They will hold the conference at the Sheraton Pittsburgh Airport Hotel in Coraopolis, PA. I attended the Confluence in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, and 2023

The link to the Confluence website.

https://confluence-sff.org

Talisman by Stephen King

The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub

Introduction

The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub is a fantasy novel. Twelve-year-old Jack Sawyer has an important and dangerous mission. His mother is dying. The only way for him to save her is to find the mythical Talisman which is in a parallel world called the Territories. He must pass many challenges to obtain his goal. Will Jack find the Talisman in time to save his mother from death?

Summary

The story is told in the third person with Jack Sawyer as the focus character except for a series of interludes featuring the antagonist, Morgan Sloat. There are four parts to the novel reflecting Jack’s journey to enlightenment.

Part I: Jack Lights Out

Jack learns about his mother’s illness. Speedy Parker teaches him about the Territories and that the Talisman, which is located in the Territories, can cure her cancer. Everyone has a twinner in the Territories. Jack’s mother’s twinner is the Queen of the Territories. Speedy gives him an aid to cross over. Jack flips into the Territories.

Part II: The Road of Trials

Jack starts his journey in New Hampshire but must travel to California to find the Talisman. He stops in Oatley, New York. He finds work in the town at a bar and almost gets trapped there.

Part III: A Collision of Worlds

Jack is travelling again and runs into a werewolf creature named Wolf. They become friends and continue their journey. They flip to the real world, and they arrive in Indiana where they are arrested and sent to the Sunlight Home, a boy’s reform school. The school’s owner runs the place like a prison. Jack and Wolf are singled out as bad students.

Part IV: The Talisman

Jack escapes the school and finds Morgan Sloat’s son Richard in a boarding school in Illinois. They travel by train to California using the Territories. Jack finds the Talisman. He must win the Talisman and bring it to his mother to heal her.

Recommendation

The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub borders on the line between fantasy and science fiction. I feel like the authors don’t make all the points fit together. I like the character of Wolf, but I don’t understand how werewolves fit into this story. The novel feels like a portal fantasy, but I think werewolves belong in a different story than this one. Jack’s actions and thoughts seem older than a boy of twelve. The scenes in the boarding house with Richard felt like they were from another novel. The story does come to a satisfying conclusion though.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13444.The_Talisman

It by Stephen King has seven kids who face horror. As adults, they face It again. Will the Losers Club defeat the hidden evil in the Derry sewers, or will they perish?

It by Stephen King

Drawing of the Three by Stephen King, book #2 of The Dark Tower series, features Roland, Eddie Dean, and Odetta Holmes. Roland gets one step closer to reaching the Dark Tower.

Drawing of the Three by Stephen King

The Gunslinger by Stephen King, book #1 of The Dark Tower series, seemed to set up for a climax that never happened. What is there is a trippy and metaphysical non-ending.

The Gunslinger by Stephen King

Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold

Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold, Book #10 of the Vorkosigan saga.

Introduction

Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold is the tenth novel of the Vorkosigan saga. Miles has a medical issue that occurred on his last adventure which jeopardizes his career as an Imp Sec operative. He has a medical event at the wrong time, and he must report to his boss, Simon Illyan. The problem is his boss suffers from an illness related to the computer implanted in his brain. The nature of Illyan’s memory glitches jeopardizes the Barrayaran Empire. Can Miles figure out what happened to Illyan and what he should do about it before it’s too late?

Summary

In Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold, Miles must reevaluate his life because of a medical condition that interferes with performing his job as the leader of the Denarii Mercenaries and as an operative of Imperial Security reporting to Simon Illyan. Miles gets the medical condition in his last adventure detailed in the novel Mirror Dance. In this novel, things go wrong on his next mission and Miles tries to cover it up, so he won’t face a medical discharge. They summon him to Barrayar to face his superior, the Imperial Security Chief, Simon Illyan.

Miles finds out Illyan has a medical emergency and that changes everything. They had installed a computer in Illyan’s brain many years ago. The computer has always failed in others, but Illyan has used it beyond its normal working life. His computer is glitching and he experiences memories as if they are happening now. The memories are cascading, and his life is in jeopardy. Miles must determine if the failures are natural or if someone caused them. The answers may prove catastrophic for the Empire but may show Miles a path to follow for the next phase of his life.

Recommendation

The events of Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold change the Vorkosigan saga from now on. Miles grew up and needed a change but change came to him unexpectedly and he had to prepare for the next phase of his life. He ends up well like he always does. I thought Memory came at the perfect time in the saga and set up Miles for the rest of his life.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61880.Memory

In Ethan of Athos by Lois McMaster Bujold, Dr. Ethan Urquhart must discover what happened to unusable ovarian samples. Will Ethan go off the planet, risk being corrupted, and solve the mystery of the unusable samples, or will he doom Athos by doing nothing?

Ethan of Athos by Lois McMaster Bujold

In Cetaganda by Lois McMaster Bujold, they send Miles Vorkosigan and his cousin Ivan to Cetaganda on a diplomatic mission. Miles becomes involved in a complex mystery. Will Miles foil the plot to destroy Cetaganda and save his home planet of Barrayar?

Cetaganda by Lois McMaster Bujold

In The Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold, they accused Miles Vorkosigan of treason. Will Miles play The Vor Game well enough to escape the treason charges made against him and secure the assignment he desires?

Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold

In Warriors Apprentice (Book #2 of the Vorkosigan Saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold, Miles Vorkosigan gets involved in another planet’s war. Can he escape the mischief he started?

Warriors Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold

In Barrayar (Book#7 of the Vorkosigan saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold, Lady Cordelia Vorkosigan faces an assassination and the birth of her son. Will she survive the regency and give birth to her son?

Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold

In Shards of Honor (Book#1 of the Vorkosigan saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold, Barrayaran Captain Aral Vorkosigan takes Betan Commander Cordelia Naismith as a prisoner. They take a hike in the jungle. What happens when they fall in love?

Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold

In Falling Free (Book #4 of the Vorkosigan saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold, space engineer Leo Graf must decide between retiring or risking his life protecting his students. The novel is a fun, self-contained space opera romp.

Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold

Writing Progress Report June 2024

This is my Writing Progress Report June 2024.

I attended the Marcon conference in Columbus, Ohio, from May 17, 2024, to May 19, 2024.

Writing Progress from May 2024.

I wrote one blog post for my website, garydavidgillen.com. The post was my writing progress report for May 2024, which is linked below.

Writing Progress Report May 2024

In May 2024, there was no submission to the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call. We are taking a break until August 2024.

Writing Progress from May 2024 Continued

I made five posts on my Goodreads account in April 2024.

In the past, I submitted the stories; Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, and Grognard to magazines.

Magazine submissions for 2021 were 4 unique stories submitted 4 times, with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 4 rejections. No submissions for 2022. None for 2023.

Events from May 2024.

I attended the Marcon conference in Columbus, Ohio, from May 17, 2024, to May 19, 2024. They held the conference at Crowne Plaza North Hotel in Worthington, Ohio. I attended six panels at the con.

This is a link to the Marcon website.

https://www.marcon.org/home

This is a link to the Marcon Conference Facebook account.

https://www.facebook.com/MARConOH

Writing Goals for June 2024.

In June 2024, I plan to write five blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my Writing Progress Report for June 2024.

I plan to work on a story for the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call in August 2024.

Polish and submit the stories White Bracer, Mage Squad, I Shall Not Return, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.

In June 2024, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.

Planned Events for June 2024.

The next event I plan to attend is the Confluence Conference near Pittsburgh, PA, on July 26, 2024, to July 28, 2024. They will hold the conference at the Sheraton Pittsburgh Airport Hotel in Coraopolis, PA. I attended the Confluence in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, and 2023

The link to the Confluence website.

https://confluence-sff.org

Writing Progress Report May 2024

This is my Writing Progress Report May 2024.

I attended the Penguicon conference, from April 26, 2024, to April 28, 2024, in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

Writing Progress from April 2024.

I wrote one blog post for my website, garydavidgillen.com. The post was my writing progress report for April 2024, which is linked below.

Writing Progress Report April 2024

In April 2024, I submitted Chemithurgy Chapter Four of Four (Section Two of Three) to the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call.

Writing Progress from April 2024 Continued

I made five posts on my Goodreads account in April 2024.

In the past, I submitted the stories; Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, and Grognard to magazines.

Magazine submissions for 2021 were 4 unique stories submitted 4 times, with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 4 rejections. No submissions for 2022. None for 2023.

Events from April 2024.

I attended the Penguicon conference, from April 26, 2024, to April 28, 2024. They held the conference at the Ypsilanti Marriot at Eagle Crest, 1275 South Huron Street, Ypsilanti, Michigan.

This is a link to the Peguicon website.

Home

Writing Goals for May 2024.

In May 2024, I plan to write five blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my Writing Progress Report for April 2024.

I plan to submit a story to the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call in May 2024.

In May 2024, I plan to work on third draft edits for Assassin in New Marl City using comments from the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio. I plan to split Chapter 1 into two chapters and add a scene to the new chapter 1.

Polish and submit the stories White Bracer, Mage Squad, I Shall Not Return, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.

In May 2024, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.

Planned Events for May 2024.

The next conference I plan to attend is the Marcon conference in Columbus, Ohio, from May 17, 2024, to May 19, 2024. They will hold the conference at Crowne Plaza North Hotel in Worthington, Ohio.

This is a link to the Marcon website.

https://www.marcon.org/home

This is a link to the Marcon Conference Facebook account.

https://www.facebook.com/MARConOH

Writing Progress Report April 2024

This is my Writing Progress Report April 2024.

I witnessed the total eclipse in the Cleveland Area on April 8, 2024 at 3:16 PM.

Writing Progress from March 2024.

I wrote two blog posts for my website, garydavidgillen.com. One of the posts was my writing progress report for March 2024, which is linked below.

Writing Progress Report March 2024

In March 2024, I submitted Chemithurgy Chapter Four of Four (Section One of Three) to the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call.

Writing Progress from March 2024 Continued

I made five posts on my Goodreads account in March 2024.

In the past, I submitted the stories; Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, and Grognard to magazines.

Magazine submissions for 2021 were 4 unique stories submitted 4 times, with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 4 rejections. No submissions for 2022. None for 2023.

Events from March 2024.

I attended the Cleveland Concoction, from March 8, 2024, to March 10, 2024. They held the conference at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center at 600 North Aurora Road, Aurora, Ohio.

I attended the opening ceremonies, three lectures, three panels, two author showcases, the guest of honor talk, and the closing ceremonies.

This is a link to the ConCoction website.

http://www.clevelandconcoction.org/

Another event I attend was the Western Reserve Writers Conference at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library in Lyndhurst, Ohio on March 23, 2024.

This is a link to the Cuyahoga County Library website.

https://www.cuyahogalibrary.org

Writing Goals for April 2024.

In April 2024, I plan to write five blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my Writing Progress Report for April 2024.

I plan to submit a story to the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call in April 2024.

In April 2024, I plan to work on third draft edits for Assassin in New Marl City using comments from the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio. I plan to split Chapter 1 into two chapters and add a scene to the new chapter 1.

Polish and submit the stories White Bracer, Mage Squad, I Shall Not Return, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.

In April 2024, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.

Planned Events for April 2024.

The next conference I plan to attend is the Penguicon conference, from April 26, 2024, to April 28, 2024. They will hold the conference at the Ypsilanti Marriot at Eagle Crest, 1275 South Huron Street, Ypsilanti, Michigan.

This is a link to the Peguicon website.

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