Three Time Travellers Walk Into…

~ ianrandalstrock ~ Leave a comment

9fe8ca763a41bf143a5529820ada4856_originalAfter being nearly somnolent for a year and a half due to the pandemic, Fantastic Books is roaring back into activity. We published Horror for the Throne last month, announced the forthcoming On Samuel R. Delany’s Dhalgren edited by Bill Wood and Sanctuary by Allen Steele, and now we’ve launched our first Kickstarter campaign in a long time.

Michael A. Ventrella returns to the Fantastic Books fold, editing the anthology Three Time Travellers Walk Into…. The authors were told simply “take three unconnected historical figures, throw them together, and see what fun/mayhem/pathos/what-have-you ensues.” Please check it out at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/667435382/three-time-travelers-walk-into, and tell your friends. (I clicked the “launch the campaign” button minutes ago, and before I could post here, there were already five backers. I’m very excited!)

We need to be stronger

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This story, and specifically what the Taliban commander says (from 1:48 to 2:04) is why leaving Afghanistan is wrong, why the last twenty years of less-than-all-out war was wrong. These beings cannot conceive of negotiating, do not want to live in peace with people who think differently. Their ideology says that the only conceivable outcome is for them to dominate the entire planet, for everyone to think like them, act like them, believe like them. So, this is the other war (first, of course, we have to keep from dying due to climate change).

I don’t care what your god creature says to you, but if you—in following those instructions—think they apply to me, you have overstepped. And clearly, those religious zealots think their religion applies to me. It does not. This is why I continue to fret.

The quote, for those who can’t see the video (which is 5:39 titled “CNN gets access to US military base seized by the Taliban”), is: “It’s our belief that one day, Mujahideen will have victory, and Islamic law will come not to just Afghanistan, but all over the world. We are not in a hurry. We believe it will come one day. Jihad will not end ’til the last day.”

Where have all the baked goods gone?

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This is what the pandemic has brought me to: ten minutes ago, I shut down the computer, and was going to bake something to bring to the picnic tomorrow. As I was taking out the ingredients, I discovered I had next-to-none (and far less than I needed) of not one, but two major ingredients for this particular recipe. And we’re not talking oddball ingredients: I have a only few tablespoons of shortening, and maybe a quarter-cup of flour in the house. I used to always have ample quantities of everything I might need for baking in the house, but I’ve done so little baking that I’ve let myself slip.

So instead, in the morning on the way to the picnic, I’ll have to stop for store-bought goodies (most people won’t know what they’re missing, but I’ll know). And one of these days, I’ll have to get to the store to replenish my supplies. I only hope it’s safe for the world to re-open, so I’ll want to get back to baking regularly.

First extended out-of-town trip since the before-times comes to an end

~ ianrandalstrock ~ Leave a comment
I’m home! If you’ve made a post or a general announcement, or otherwise expected me to see anything not emailed me to me since July 19th, I’ve probably missed it. But now I’m back, and if you’re waiting to hear from me, I’m catching up now (first up is royalties for Gray Rabbit Publications and Fantastic Books).
 
It’s starting to feel like the before-times: I’ve been out of state for the last eleven days, and 21 of the 31 days in July. Now, however, I’m home for the next three weeks, with a lot on my to-do list to be done, so… head down in the keyboard, getting back to work… NOW!

PW recommends On Samuel R. Delany’s Dhalgren

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perf6.000x9.000.inddI’ve mentioned before that Fantastic Books will be publishing a massive non-fiction volume dedicated to Samuel R. Delany’s classic novel, called On Samuel R. Delany’s Dhalgren. The book doesn’t arrive until September, but the first of the reviews is now available. Publishers Weekly says, among other things, “Samuel R. Delany’s influential and divisive 1975 novel Dhalgren gets a full critical treatment in this immersive and comprehensive collection,” and “Fans of Delaney’s classic will want to snap this up.” To read the full review, see this link. And to read the full book, keep your eyes open for the September 9th publication date.