Yup, it’s the weekend and that means r’n’r time for most of us, and in my lexicon that usually means at least a little bit of reading, amongst other things…

So I thought I’d ask what “..on Anything, Really” readers were reading right now? Or have just read and would like to recommend?

Just to get the ball rolling, you may recall that Adam Christopher’s Seven Wonders arrived on Wednesday, and yes, I am already reading it with a view to doing that interview. So far, I can tell you that it’s exactly the fun, pacy read it promised to be from the back jacket, and a nice blend of James Ellroy meets Gotham City style-wise.

Anyway, would love to hear what you have on the go right now, or have recently finished reading…

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And just in case you missed it yesterday, you can read Andrew Robins’ review of Iain M Banks’ The Hydrogen Sonata, here.

Review: The Hydrogen Sonata by Iain M Banks (Orbit, 2012; 517 pp.)

Reviewed by: Andrew Robins

I am a fan of Iain M Banks and the Culture “universe”, so it has been a rare treat for me to get the opportunity to read and review a second Culture novel this year. (The first was Surface Detail.)

The Hydrogen Sonata has some flaws as a story (in my opinion), but once I recognised these and accepted them, they did not really detract much from my enjoyment while reading.

The Culture is a very rich back drop for story telling. Banks makes full use of the diversity that a society beyond scarcity allows. Many of the events of the story are driven  by a group of Culture vessels – who are simply that,  a group of Culture vessels. They have chosen to involve themselves in the affairs of the Gzilt, as the Gzilt embark on the process of subliming, because it seems to them to be right to do so. And a little bit interesting. These are their sole imperatives.

The story starts with the Gzilt 23 days away from “disappearing uselessly up their own fundament” and departing normal reality for good. The author does a good job of providing, as a backdrop, the image of a society that has already mostly shut down, switched off, and disappeared in preparation for the big day.

There are a variety of different tensions that need to be resolved. A major theme of the book for me was the slow unravelling of the ability of individuals and institutions within the Gzilt society to deal with these tensions. And also of the constraints that they placed on themselves in dealing with them. As the big day got closer and closer the “rewards” people were chasing got smaller and smaller, and the actions they were prepared to take got more extreme.

And in the end, every individual faced the process of subliming on their own.

Looking at the books flaws – the main character, Vyr Cossont did not really work for me. I have got this far in the review without mentioning her, after all.  My main issue would be her lack of agency.  The only real reason she is important to the story is because she knew someone once. She is not, at any stage, in control of events or even particularly important to them (in my opinion).  I am reasonably certain the author would differ with me on this point though.

My other issue is that the big dark and terrible secret that the Culture is pursuing – is neither that big and dark, nor that secret in the end. Difficult for me to say much more here without spoilers.

Still – as I said earlier in the review, once I recognised these issues and accepted them, I was still able to enjoy the book immensely.  As you experience the last days of the Gzilt themselves, you also get to experience: Girdle city, obsessive sand sculptures, a moon orbiting below a planet’s surface, the everlasting party, and a truly awesome Culture ship name or two–just to list a few elements of a very long list of things that made this story good.

To conclude, I believe The Hydrogen Sonata is a very worthy addition to the Culture canon. If you are a fan of other Culture novels I am pretty certain you will like this one as well. The Hydrogen Sonata should also appeal to readers who like Peter F Hamilton and Neal Asher.

For more information on Iain M Banks and his writing, see his site, here.

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About the Reviewer:

Andrew Robins is a long time reader – and sometime reviewer – of science fiction, fantasy and history. People pay him to test stuff, mainly radios, which most of the time is more fun than it has any right to be. Any and all views expressed in this review are entirely his own.

Recent reviews by Andrew include:

• “2312″ by Kim Stanley Robinson, here.

• “Redshirts” by John Scalzi, here.

Yesterday was one of those days—you know, when you open up your post office box and find a little yellow card inside. But rather than being a stern warning for bad on-the-field behaviour, you take it inside the post office and exchange it for a parcel. And not always, but quite often, the parcel is a book.

Happiness! 🙂

And so it proved to be yesterday. I handed over my little piece of yellow card and the kind lady behind the counter gave me a parcel—and the book therein was Seven Wonders by Adam Christopher.

Those of you are in the know will be aware that Adam Christopher is  a Kiwi writer resident in Old Blighty (aka the UK) and his first novel, Empire State has had some rather nice international attention.

So needless to say, and not least because there may be an interview forthcoming, I am really looking forward to reading Seven Wonders—and even more so once I checked out the back cover, which read:

“Fear The Might of… The Cowl!

Tony Prosdocimi lives in the bustling Metropolis of San Ventura – a city gripped in fear, a city under siege by the hooded supervillain, The Cowl.

When Tony develops super-powers and acts to take down The Cowl, however, he finds that the local superhero team Seven Wonders aren’t as grateful as he assumed they’d be…”

Oh wow, I thought, this is a superheroes book.

So I am hoping it will be a fun read, especially as several others writers, such X-Men writer, Victor Gischler, and Seanan Maguire have nice things to say on the back.

And stay posted for that interview. 😉

This is the fourth and final post in my “A View from Here” series, put together as part of the Aotearoa Blog Carnival.

The carnival itself is intended to celebrate New Zealand literature and letters, given New Zealand is the official guest country at the Frankfurt Book Fair this year

In “A View from Aotearoa-New Zealand” I talked about geographic isolation and New Zealanders as migratory birds, heading outward to the world even if we also often return. I believe New Zealand writers also tend to look outward to the world in terms of literary engagement, even if our subject matter can sometimes be almost self-consciously inward looking.

Recently, I interviewed poet Rhian Gallagher, whose poetry collection “Shift” had just won the NZ Post Book Award for Poetry. (The podcast of that interview is here and still ‘listenable.’) In the interview we talked about what made a book distinctively “of New Zealand” and although I am not sure we reached a conclusion then—it is, as Rhian correctly pointed out, a very big question—the conversation did spark further reflection.

The conclusion I have now reached is that what makes writing “of New Zealand” is primarily that it is written by a New Zealander or New Zealand resident. Someone from “otherwhere” may come in and offer a transitory viewpoint on New Zealand, but it is questionable whether that constitutes New Zealand literature as opposed to an extension of their own cultural perspective.

Beyond that, I don’t think there are or can be any rules about what constitutes the correct degree of New Zealanderish-ness in a work—because here’s the thing: when you’re in the middle of something, especially something so ubiquitous as culture and society, it is almost impossible to see it clearly. We are all very much inside it, after all. In order to see one’s own culture with a degree of objectivity, I suspect both geographic and temporal distance may be essential—but even then, nostalgia and the distance itself may cloud the glass. (In other words, there are no easy answers: surprise!)

Like most countries, New Zealand has different cultures and societies within that one label of “Aotearoa-New Zealand.” I don’t just mean the obvious ones like Maori and Pacific Island cultures, those of UK and European descent, as well as early Chinese and Indian settlers and more recent immigrants from those same regions–although they are important. But living in Grey Lynn in Auckland is a very different New Zealand than Avonhead in Christchurch; living on the East Cape very different from residing in Timaru or Winton.

So what makes up the New Zealand “slant” on literature that is written by people either coming from or still living in any of those places, or shifting between them, may vary enormously.

I do not think one can be held up as more right than any other: we are all, in our ways, New Zealanders. What we write, in its diversity, comprises the body of New Zealand literature.

Looking at My Own Work:

If I look at my own writing as a specific example, I write fantasy fiction, and epic fantasy fiction at that. I also write poetry, and occasionally short fiction. In terms of the epic fantasy, the stories are  set in alternate worlds, ones which draw on mythological and physical landscapes that are not derived solely from New Zealand.

Yet given that it appears to be part of our New Zealand psyche to look outward to the wider world, that in itself does not represent an inherent diminution of my—or my work’s—‘New Zealander-ishness’ or Kiwi credentials.

USA

I discussed landscape and environment, and its influence on world building, in my very first post for the Aoteraoa Blog Carnival, way back in February, here. I find it difficult to conceive how any writer could live in an environment or landscape and not be influenced by it. I know I am, and that the influence is very much present in my writing, as alluded to in that post.

Yet, although we all now know that Tolkien’s Middle Earth, thanks to Sir Peter Jackson, is aligned with New Zealand in the international mind, I suspect we, as New Zealanders, rarely look out the window and see the landscape in fantastic or epic terms. Nonetheless, those influences are there.

UK/AU/NZ

I did part of my growing up in the King Country, where the hill behind our house was a terraced pa site and the local stories were of battles fought on the nearby sand dunes between hapu of the Waikato iwi and those led by Te Rauparaha. Bones would still often turn up when the sands shifted.

And there were later tales, of the Maori resistance to British settlement in the 1860 and ’70 wars, with the subsequent withdrawal into the King Country. Tales of battles and retreats and loss, of enmities and friendships, and of the slow turning of that ebb tide of defeat and dispossession through the 20th century.

Epic stories and human stories—and if I do not write exactly those histories, nonetheless the threads of those influences and all the thoughts and reflections they engender are not something I can divorce from either who I am, or what my writing is.

Nor is this the only influence, on me or on my work. I have lived in a number of regions of New Zealand and been influenced by a raft of histories and stories. I would particularly mention Otago, that harsh and rugged land of gold, where the history of the Chinese miners is as strong and distinctive a thread as that of those who came from the UK and US, Europe and Australia. I grew up with the stories of the gold, together with those of the remote sheep stations and the coastal regions where the first colonial settlers were whalers and sealers who married into the local Maori communities.

Again, all human stories, and in their way, epic stories–and to the extent that they have either moved or inspired me, I am quite sure that influence has also shaped my writing.

The influence of culture makes itself felt in other ways, many of which may also be invisible to the writer who is “in it.” Part of this influence may be subtle. For example, in New Zealand, we can pretty much look up and see the stars from just about anywhere (so long as it isn’t cloudy, of course.) But that is not true in many other parts of the world. So observation, description and discussion of the stars in writing, while matter-of-course for the New Zealand writer, may not be for the reader in other sectors of the globe.

New Zealand is also allegedly one of the world’s least corrupt societies: this suggests a concern around justice and fair play that may come through in our storytelling. Whether it does and whether it is distinctive or not—perhaps that is something only those outside of New Zealand, who read our literature, may judge.

To return to my premise, from my perspective as a writer and looking at both my own work and that of others, I feel very much that if it is written by a New Zealander or New Zealand resident, then it is part of the body that is New Zealand literature. It is our human nature to cherry pick for that we decide is of greater or lesser value, more or less “of New Zealand”—as well as striving to make connections and discern trends where there may in fact be none.

We are all the sum of our experiences, but for me as a writer, the greatest part of that experience comprises being a New Zealander. None of my experience will be quite the same, or even similar at all, to that of other New Zealand writers. Yet I am nonetheless a New Zealander and a writer: together, they shape both my view from here and my work.

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My other three posts in the  “A View from Here” series are:

• A view from my study (short and sweet ), here.

• A view from Christchurch (the first post written), here.

• A View from Aotearoa-New Zealand, here.

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A Brief Note on Maori Terms Used:

“Pa” — a fortified settlement and/or fort

“iwi” — a Maori tribal confederation

“hapu” — a sub-tribe, considered by some to be the primary societal grouping; the federation of hapu sharing common ancestry forms an iwi

“Waikato” — a major iwi and the one from which the Maori “kingitanga”, King movement originated

Te Rauparaha — a famous Maori war leader, sometimes referred to as the “Napoleon of the South”

The stars, Natasha

Natasha, fundamentals are strong,
key indicators steady.
Leave your books, Natasha,
let your computer
draw patterns on its screen.

Walk with me through the heavens.
Along cold orbits
the spendthrift stars
squander their assets on light.
The World Bank

is unamused; the IMF
is noting down their names.
So take my hand
let’s drift away
into the cosmic background.

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©Tim Jones

First published in Boat People (HeadworX) 2002

Reprinted in Voyagers: Science Fiction Poetry from New Zealand (Interactive Press) 2009

Reproduced here with permission.

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 About the Poem:

I always enjoy Tim Jones’ poetry and we share an interest in science and science fiction, as well as poetry—so it is perhaps not surprising that when down at Tekapo for the UC Alumni’s Mt John observatory weekend recently, where stargazing occupied a large part of my time, I found The stars, Natasha running through my head.

So of course I had to ask Tim if I could share it with you as a Tuesday Poem, and am very pleased that he has said “yes.” 🙂

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About the Poet:

Tim Jones is a poet and author of both science fiction and literary fiction who was awarded the New Zealand Society of Authors Janet Frame Memorial Award for Literature in 2010. He lives in Wellington, New Zealand. Among his recent books are fantasy novel Anarya’s Secret (RedBrick, 2007), short story collection Transported (Vintage, 2008), and poetry anthology Voyagers: Science Fiction Poetry from New Zealand (Interactive Press, 2009), co-edited with Mark Pirie. Voyagers won the “Best Collected Work” category in the 2010 Sir Julius Vogel Awards, and has been selected for the “Books On New Zealand” exhibition at the 2012 Frankfurt Book Fair. Tim’s most recent book is his third poetry collection, Men Briefly Explained, published by Interactive Press (IP) in late 2011. He is currently working on his third short story collection.

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To read the featured poem on the Tuesday Poem Hub and other great poems from fellow Tuesday poets from around the world, click here or on the Quill icon in the sidebar.

Monday, Monday — and time to think about what’s on the to-do list, here on the blog and/or on other sites for the rest of the week…

First and most obviously, writing Daughter of Blood, The Wall of Night Book Three, which is — of course! — an “every day” task and very much in the spirit of John Steinbeck’s book quote yesterday (right here.)

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Later today, once US eastern standard time clicks on over into 1 October (around 5 pm) I’ll be posting on the Supernatural Underground, since the first of the month is my regular gig there. This month’s post will be something a little different for my posts on the Supernatural Underground, so do pop on over and take  a look (after 5.30 pm, NZ time; 12.30 am, EST.)

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Tomorrow, of course is the Tuesday Poem day—and if you haven’t already seen last week’s featured poem on the Hub, Revolver by Australian poet Samuel Wagan Watson, it’s well worth  a read, so do check it out, here.

Last week’s featured poem here on “… Anything, Really” was Kerrin Sharpe’s “sewing the world”, from her debut collection “Three Days In A Wishing Well” (Victoria University Press), both also well worth a read.

Check in tomorrow to see what poem I have featured for this week… 😉

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On Wednesday, I shall be posting the fourth of my “A View from Here” series (a spin off from the Aotearoa Blog Carnival) in which — having looked at the view from my study, from Christchurch, and from Aotearoa-New Zealand — I shall look at “a view from here” in terms of my own writing.

Also on Wednesday, it’s the opening salvo for the Canterbury Poets’ Collective Poetry in Performance Spring Series with guest poet, Joanna Aitchison, and students from the Hagley Writers’ Institute. The programme for the full eight weeks, including details of venue, time and entry fee, is here.

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Also coming up this week — I should have a new review from Andrew Robins on the blog for Friday: this one will be of Iain M Banks new Culture novel, The Hydrogen Sonata. Something to look forward to at the end of the week , especially for those of you who enjoyed his reviews of Kim Stanley Robinson’s 2312, here, and John Scalzi’s Redshirts, here.

“Abandon the idea that you are ever going to finish. Lose track of the 400 pages and write just one page for each day, it helps. Then when it gets finished you are always surprised.”

— John Steinbeck

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John Steinbeck won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962. You can read the accompanying citation here and his Wikipedia entry, here.

Jane Higgins

The fourth interview in my “Fun with Friends” interview series has recently posted on Hugo Award-winning site, SF Signal.

The series comprises a monthly interview with fellow SFF authors from Australia and New Zealand, focused around  5 questions  on “who they are” and “what they do” in writing terms.

This interview is with YA speculative fiction author, Jane Higgins, right HERE.

Please do click through to take a look—and help me keep the international spotlight on antipodean SFF by not only checking out the interview, but spreading the word and perhaps leaving a comment.

Enjoy!

I’d heard so much about this book, which won the Arthur C Clarke Award for Science Fiction in 2011, that it is very nice to be able to get into at last.

And so far, at between a third to half the way through, I’m enjoying the premise, which is that people who fall by the wayside in terms of (mainly) “crime”, end up with an animal familiar by way of “punishment.” The South African setting is interesting, although as someone who has never been there I have no way of assessing authenticity—but the author, Lauren Beukes, is South African so I’m assuming…

And so far, I am very much enjoying the “voice” of the protagonist, Zinzi, as well as the “feel” of the novel, which is urban fantasy meets crime noir.

The only thing that is really puzzling me—although this may resolve further into the book—is that the Arthur C Clarke Award is for science fiction, and from what I can tell this is definitely shaping as straightout urban fantasy. So I shall be interested to find out if I’m missing something or whether more will yet be revealed to resolve this apparent “disconnect.”

On the strength I’ve what I’ve read so far though, it’s not going to be any hardship to read on and find out. 😉

On September 15, submissions for the 5th and latest instalment of the The Aotearoa Blog Carnival closed. The carnival is part of celebrating New Zealand literature and letters as part of New Zealand being the official guest country at the Frankfurt Book Fair this year—which of course is happening 10-14 October, i.e. very soon: w00t to all those Kiwis who’re going to be there! 🙂

The theme for the 5th instalment of the Carnival is “A View From Here” and as I said in my post of September 13, I do feel there are many slants and angles into the theme. I have chosen to develop the post into four views, from the micro to the macro, centered on being a writer living in Christchurch, New Zealand: from my study, from Christchurch, from New Zealand, and as expressed through my books.

The post on the view from my study (short and sweet ;-)) is here.

A view from Christchurch is here.

Today I am posting the third view: —

A View From Here: A View From New Zealand

As a New Zealander, I have always perceived our focus as a nation as being very much “out there” to the wider world. Part of that arises, I believe, from being a long narrow country in the middle of the “vasty wilds” of the southern ocean. Many think of Australia as being close, and culturally I feel that is still true: geographically though, it has never been true, except in terms of relativity to the rest of the world. People from other parts of the globe are often surprised to learn, for example, that London is closer to Moscow than either Christchurch or Auckland, New Zealand’s two largest cities, are to Sydney, in Australia.

I believe that our geographic isolation, but also a corresponding interest in and attention to the rest of the world, is a defining part of New Zealand culture. We look outward and are very much migratory birds—flying north for varieties of OE (overseas experience), and in many cases living and working abroad for some time, but in many cases also eventually returning home.

Examples of famous New Zealanders who have made the outward journey and not returned include:

• writer, Katherine Mansfield
• Antarctic explorer and navigator, Frank Worsley
• print and pioneer television journalist, Sir Geoffrey Cox

Others who have returned, whether early or late in their lives, include:

• Air Chief Marshall Sir Keith Park,  a key RAF commander in the Battle of Britain
• Author, Janet Frame
• Author and film director, Dame Ngaio Marsh

I believe New Zealand writers tend to “look outward” as well—not necessarily in terms of our subject matter, which can often be almost self-consciously inward looking, but in terms of wishing to engage with the world. Engagement comprises both the aspiration to have our work read and also to participate in international conversations. Because of the tyranny of  physical distance that defines us, the internet has become a big part of the contemporary view from here—through the “ether”, if not in person, individuals may now travel to any country and participate in a world of literary conversations.

The Bone People, by Keri Hulme

Novelists based in New Zealand who have bridged the international gap include:

• Keri Hulme : The Bone People, which won the Booker Prize in 1984
• Elizabeth Knox : Dreamquake won the Michael L Printz Award in 2008
• Patricia Grace: won the Neustadt International Prize for Literature, also in 2008, for the body of her work including novels such as Mutuwhenua, Potiki, Dogside Story and Tu