A hairy oddball's journal

Hrmm.

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:24:20 GMT

So, I've been having this urge to make a big post about who I am, what I'm doing with my life, details about "stuff" like my art, who I'm invovled with, all kinds of miscellaneous detail that some of you know a lot about, some of you know a little about, and some of you couldn't care less about, much less know.

But that's a lot of work, and feels kind of like bragging (in some cases, it is).

So, instead, I'll open the floor to questions. Any of you reading this can ask me anything you want; I reserve the right to answer privately (but I likely won't if you ask publically). If you have a question that you don't want to state in front of everyone here, then feel free to ask it via an LJ message (same reservation applies to the answers).

And, in fact, I'll even do this as a public post. I hardly ever do this, but according to my profile, there are 122 accounts that list me as an LJ friend that I don't list back (that seems like a lot, actually).

So, have at it.

Yes, it's my birthday. This is more important.

Sun, 09 Aug 2009 17:27:58 GMT

Though I have a lot of things to say, I'm posting this without comment.

Fourteen years ago today...

Wed, 20 May 2009 16:30:41 GMT

7patches and I got married, two years to the day after our first date. I've said this before - asking her to marry me was the single best decision I've ever made.

However

Tomorrow, very likely, the California Supreme Court will announce their ruling on the validity of Proposition 8. If they uphold it, California will be relegated to a unique and sad place in the history of civil rights in the United States.

This both angers and shames me. I am angry because this basic civil right might not be extended to all California citizens, and ashamed that I have been able take advantage of my unwarranted and unasked for privilege when others cannot.

Right now, I'm trying to be hopeful. We'll see how it goes.

Happy Eat Too Much and Enjoy it Anyway Day...

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 20:19:16 GMT

To all of you here in the U.S. A. that are celebrating it.

And Happy Thursday to the rest of you.

It's true.

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 07:01:03 GMT

Living well is the best revenge.
---George Herbert

Had a really great weekend, filled with wonderful friends.

Previous entry now private.

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 18:07:43 GMT

Thanks to all of you who commented there and privately - the input was most helpful.

Also, f-list changes made - and if you feel I made a change in error, feel free to comment, all comments screened.

Need another example of why Proposition 8 is wrong?

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:50:52 GMT

Read this.

Vote no on Prop 8.

Well?

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:54:09 GMT

Reviews of this and that...

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 02:55:53 GMT

Ok, not so much reviews, as opinions.

Recently (last three weeks or so) I've seen a bunch of movies. Kung Fu Panda, Wall-E (twice!), Hellboy II, The Hulk, Iron Man (also twice), The Dark Knight and Mongol.

I did in fact, like all of them, a lot. Everyone has been raving about The Dark Knight, and I do think that it is a fabulous movie. However, of the superhero movies released recently, I think The Hulk is far and away the best of them (including Hellboy II, which I enjoyed but felt that it was far more derivative than the first one).

Ok this is a short review:
However, Mongol is really not getting enough press. It's a film by Sergei Bodrov, apparently a big cheese in Russian cinema (and if he's not, he should be). It is the best film I've seen this year, and one of the best films I've ever seen, period. It's in Mogolian with English subtitles, and is about the childhood and rise to power of Temudjin, who was later known as Genghis Khan. The movie is epic in scope and look ,and more importatnly, they got pretty much everything right, both historically and culturally. It's a very compelling story as well, and it's beautifully shot, on location. If you want to see an action film that feels real, do go see it.

Another brief review, this time of a book:
Jay Lake's (jaylake) second "clockpunck" novel, Escapement, the sequel to Mainspring is now available in hardback. I bought a copy and have finished reading it. Some of you might remember how much I raved about how good Mainspring was - Escapement is better. The story is a bit easier to follow (and one can read this as a standalone; you needn't have read Mainspring first, though you ought) and thre is more exploration of the world that Lake has built. It also showcases Lake's increasing abilities as a writer (and he's already and his delightful ability to surprise the reader with plot twists. Also, I feel that the characters are exceptionally well written, and very sympathetic. All this and you get airships, steamships, submarines, huge, steam-powered tunnel-borers, crazy geniuses, and a mad-dog Scot thrown in to boot. It's fantastic; I really how that he writes more in this world he's created.

And one last review; the Stan Ridgway concert I attended on Thursday night:
7patches and I got to the venue about an hour early; we were the second and third people in line; we and the first guy in line even got to talk to Stan as he came out to have a cigarette before the show. He's a pretty nice guy, and was pretty approachable.
The opening act, Penelope Houston, was damn good. She's got a really versatile voice (her other band are the longtime SF punk band The Avengers; her solo stuff is mostly folk-rock, and a good compliment to Ridgway's stuff (I like it enough to buy two CDs). She did a fairly short set, then manned her own merch table, and stayed for the rest of the show as far as I know.
Ridgway and co did a one long-ass set. They played a bunch of old Wall of Voodoo songs (from the Call of The West album (Mexican Radio, Longarm, The Passenger, The Morricone Theme, Call Box and Ring of Fire) and a bucnh of his solo stuff and stuff from his Drywall albums. He's one hell of a performer, despite his limited vocal range - he really knows how to use what he's got, and he's a very good musician. And I now have an almost complete discography. It was a great show.

[Locals] Selling my Kawasaki...

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 12:51:13 GMT

On the odd chance that any of you out there might be interested...

I'm selling my almost new Ninja 500r - the ad is up on Craigslist even as we speak...

New artwork

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 04:49:12 GMT

I finished the first one a few days ago, and the color one last night

"A Failure of Timing, Rather Than Intent"

"It Wasn't a Fire, Exactly"

As always, feedback, positive or negative is good.

Once again, having disposed of the monsters, exits our hero, stage right...

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 21:50:42 GMT

I've updated my online gallery again, with a few more suggestions form various and sundry. Rockethouse.net v6.2 is here.

I don't plan on any major design changes soon. I'll have more artwork up at the end of the month. Speaking of which, feedback o nthe work itself (like it, hate it, whatever) would be nice to get.
Thanks!

Rockethouse.net, v6.1, now up.

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 05:20:08 GMT

Here.

I decided that all the various suggestions had merit - and I've pretty much implemented them all. The thumbnails are bigger, there are only 9 image on each gallery page, and the "about me" and "about the art"
texts are on their own pages, all of which are directly reachable from the front page.

Feedback,again, is highly sought.

Many thanks for the last round. You people rock.

Shell game?

Fri, 31 Aug 2007 04:48:35 GMT

IMG_0475.JPG
Originally uploaded by rockethousestudio

Ok, a bunch of new photos, mostly from today, are up. Enjoy!

Recent reading!

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 04:38:19 GMT

And short-ish reviews thereof.

So, in addition to re-reading a few favorites (Emma Bull's War for the Oaks, John Myers myers' Silverlock) I've got the following short reviews:

The Lady and the Monk, Pico Iyer. This is a wonderful book. This is Iyer's second travel book. He is very interested in Zen Buddhism, and settles for a time in Kyoto, living in a small monastery. He also makes friends wit ha very modern, and married local woman; it's a wonder examination and comparison or a lot of what comprises modern Japan. Iyer is very forthright in talking about himself, and he's almost lyrical in his ability to describe the things he sees and feels. I highly recommend it.

Anansi Boys, Neil Gaiman.A sequel-of-sorts to his book American Gods; it's enjoyable, but very heavily telegraphed - there aren't many surprises in the plot or even the dialog. It is a fun read though, and well worth the cost of the paperback.

The Curse of Chalion, Paladin of Souls, and The Hallowed Hunt, Lois McMaster Bujold. Just wow. These are three of the best fantasy novels I've read in ages. The first book introduces us to the milieu, and sets the stage. In these stories religion makes a good deal of sense, as the five gods (or four gods and a baddie, if you are reactionary) are quite tangible, and very obviously the only game in town. This allows Bujold to structure the stories using the heavy religious overtones in such a way as to be consistent (unlike, say, real life) and to also create a system where magic works, due to those same gods. along with this we get well thought out political intrigue, really original characters, and wonderfully imagined settings. What's not to like? The second book, especially, was a good read. If you like good fantasy, these will work for you.

Santiago, Mike Resnick. Lots of people seem to like this book. I enjoyed it, but was annoyed by it at the same time. I'ts written as more of a fable than a real story; the plot is weak, due to the over-reliance on the central myth; which eventually turns out to be just another one ot the "Dread Pirate Roberts" types. Eh. Still not terribly impressed by Resnick.

Night Train to Rigel, Timothy Zahn.Just plain strange. The basic premise is used to create a political intrigue/Murder on the Orient Express kind of background. IIt's reasonably fun, but the aliens aren't, particularly, and the final resolution of the plot is pretty weak. But I dig the whole "interstellar railroad" idea.

Grendel: Past Prime, Greg Rucka. This is a novelette, based on the milieu created by Matt Wagner in the Grendel: Warchild graphic novel. It follows the path of one of the supporting characters, Susan Verhagen, after the collapse of the empire she helped restore. It reads a lot like vintage Robert E. Howard, in terms of action and pacing, and I rather enjoyed it. Wagner seemed to be okay with it as well, as he did a bunch of interior illustrations for it.

Amphigorey Again, Edward Gorey. I probably don't need to actually review this. It's the fourth collection of Edward Gorey's work (the others being Amphigorey, Amphigorey Too and Amphigorey Also. If you like Gorey, you'll like this, if not, you won't. Simple.

Grease Monkey, Tim Eldred. THis is a real find. It's a hardbound, black & white graphic novel. I've never heard of Eldred prior to seeing this, but the art, and the story premise really caught me. It's a science fiction tale, set in a future where Earth has been heavily depopulated due to an alien attack; the good-guy aliens arrived to save the day, and seeing that Earth needed more population, essentially uplifted Gorillas to full sapience. The story starts after that, with our wet-behind the ears cadet fighter mechanic Robin being assigned as an apprentice to Mac Grimbensky - a cranky, sarcastic and brilliant mechanic attached to the Barbarian Squadron of Earth's roving defense station. The squadron is all-female, and the best on the station too boot. There's a lot of fun and a series of really good stories making up this book. Great stuff.

Iron Council, China Miéville Miéville's third novel set in Bas Lag, this one is also, predictably, brilliant. The themes he explores in this are corporate greed, revolution, personal altruism and genocide in the name of expansion. It's not as much fun as his ohter novels set in the same places, but it's still very, very compelling.THis is, of course assuming that you like Miéville's writing in the first place. If you tried Perdido Street Station but couldn't get through it, thisis not a book you want to bother with; on the other hand, if you like Miéville, then you want to read this.

Flight, volumes 1, 2, & 3, edited by Kazu Kibuishi.Three graphic novel sized compilations, that have some of the most interesting stories and unusual comic art that I have seen. All of the stories deal with flight, in some fashion, for some definition of the word, - though in some caseds only peripherally. These are really wonderful. Even people who don't normally like graphical storytelling would like these, I think. Definitely keepers, and I'll be picking up future ones as they get published.

The Atrocity Archives, Charles Stross. Great fun. THis was described to me as essentially, "the Cthulu Mythos attempts to take over the world, but is doen in by the British civil-service bureaucracy"; It's not exactly that, but that description does provide the flavor of the two stories comprising this novel. It fun, and scary, and edge-of-the-chair in spots; nad there are many, many in-jokes for IT people, former IT people, conspiracy nuts, net geeks and even a throwaway joke about polyamory. Fun, fun, fun.

Un Lun Dun, China Miéville SO far, this is Miéville's finest work. It's being marketed as a Young Adult novel, and it's true that our two lead characters are 12 year old girls; but this is just a good fantasy book. It owes a lot to Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, as well as to others. It's definitely iit's own story, and really unlike anything you've ever read. It's a wonder fabulist piece, and it puts Miéville's descriptive abilities - here also bolstered by his own illustrations - into the forefront. The story is less complex, but no less surprising than his previous books. It's wonderful.

I'm currently halfway through Simon Winchester's, The River at the Center of The World. It's pretty awesome.

Concert review

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 00:07:10 GMT

I attended a concert last night. Despite the incredibly talkative, have-no-clue-why-they-even-bothered to see a concert, inconsiderate assholes standing in front of us, I really enjoyed the show.
It was at The Independent; Tortoise, with openers The Fucking Champs.

The venue is small, with good acoustics and as far as I could tell, a friendly staff. Drinks are somewhat on the expensive side though.

The Fucking Champs opened up, only a few minutes late. The band consists of two guitarists and a drummer (though for half of one song late in the set, the drummer also picked up a guitar). I'd describe their sound as "mutant surf-rock meets progressive metal" One guitarist was playing a pretty standard looking Fender; the other guy was playing a very strange 9-string custom; three bass strings on top and 6 guitar strings, in 3 courses (doubled, as if it was the bottom set of a 12-string). They pretty much launched into every song as if attempting to hunt it down, kill it, skin it, cook it and eat it. The drummer was doing a very good imitation of the hyper-accurate frenzy that Keith Moon used to get into on stage. The guitarists were really concentrating hard, and the three of them were very tight. They impressed me enough that I bought a CD, and they played a nice long set.

Tortoise setup was also unusual. IN the center of the stage, two complete drum kits, thrones facing each other; off to stage right and letf, behind the kits, were two vibraphones. Behind each of these area were a bass and a guitar. Behind the drum kits at the back of the stage was a keybord rack with a fullsize (Korg, I think) keyboard, and a smaller board with keys and I think synth controls. There was a MacBook set up next to this keyboards, also. Tortoise has five members, ll of who played at least two instruments. Both drummers also played vibes, nad one did some keyboarding and the other also played bass. One bassist/guitarist also played a bit of keys, and both of them did incidental percussion.THe main keys guy also played vibes and did hand percussion. And i may have missed some of the permutations. I think of Tortoise as what a jam band wants to be when it grows up; they have the groove thing down, but they throw in a lot of free jazz, and Ennio Morricone-esque synth fills (their influences are listed, in part, as Can, Ornette Coleman, and Soft Machine). And if The Fucking Champs were tight, these guys were seamless. They weren't nearly as loud or agressive at the Champs, but they were amazingly good. I bought two CDs. They played two encores - a total of 6 songs.

I really enjoyed this last night. Prior to this, I'd only just been introduced to Tortoise - had heard only short samples of their music. And the Fucking Champs were a total unknown; they were a last-minute fill in fro the original opening act. So, great concert of new-to-me music, spent with one of my favorite people (funcrunch) - even dinner, beforehand at Herbivore, was excellent.

Both bands are playing there again tonight...

Recent reading.

Sun, 18 Mar 2007 02:57:45 GMT

I haven't done one of these in a while. I have recently sped through a bunch of new stuff, mostly fiction. Here are some short reviews...

To be clear, I do tend to buy books and not get around to reading them for quite some time; I pretty much always have a backlog, and sometimes newer stuff supersedes stuff already in the back-log. I suspect that this is normal among people who read all the damn time. Fr'ex, I finally got around to reading two of the books I picked up that were mentioned in this post, back in July of last year. A bunch of them I picked up at Worldcon last year.

So, anyway (these are not in the order I read them, except for the last one, which I finished this morning.):

The Last Unicorn, Peter S. Beagle
It's sadly true - I had never read this, or any of Beagle's work, before. Honestly, had I attempted to read this when I first discovered "high fantasy" at the age of 13 or so, I would not have been able to get through it. It was enjoyable, but not easy to read, and the author's writing style really doesn't work for me. Based on this, I'm not likely to read any more of his stuff.

Newton's Wake, Ken Macleod
Straight-ahead hard SF, with some interesting twists and a very interesting storyline. The author uses a variation on Vernor Vinge's "singularity"; in this instance, it's civilizations collapsing once their AI's self-evolve to a certain point. I't a pretty good read.

Accelerando, Charles Stross
Spectacularly well done "post cyberpunk" with some interesting riffs on interplanetary & interstellar travel, and the nature of intelligence.

Scardown, Elizabeth Bear
I made somewhat of a mistake of getting this, which apparently is the middle book of a trilogy; however, Bear writes well enough that it isn't an issue. It's a pretty decent story, set in a not-distant future of augmented humans and sleazy evil corporate ickyness.

Red Lightning, John Varley
A very good sequel to Varley's very enjoyable Red Thunder. The protagonist is the son of Manny Garcia, the protagonist of Red Thunder, and it deals - quite well, i thought, with the unworkable solution to the semi-world-government situation set up by the characters at the end of the first book. It's also written better; the first book felt somewhat like Varley had taken out an unfinished early manuscript, dusted it off and punched it up a bit - this one feels much more complete. The main problems - a large, extremely damaging asteroid strike on Earth, the aftermath and rescue attempts, and the confrontation with Earth governments (our heroes are Martian colonists), as well as the various other major plot points are handled very well. It has somewhat of an edge-of-your-seat quality to it.

Greetings from Lake Wu, Jay Lake & Frank Wu
I have the beatuiful Traife Buffet edition (seriously - it's expensive, but worth every penny); it's a collection of short stories by Lake (my favorite new author in a long, long time), with a full-color illustrations by Wu (and he takes a page to explains his decisions about the illustrations), one of the best artists in the biz in my opinion (that sounds almost "damming with faint praise", but it isn't - Frank is a huge talent, and his stuff is wonderfully different from most SF illustrators). I think my favorite story in the collection is "The Courtesy of Guests".

American Sorrows, Jay Lake
Another of Lake's short story collections; as above, all the stories are damn good. My favorite is his eco-magic story "The River Knows it's Own".

Rocket Science, Jay Lake
A short, fun novel (Lake's first) - about a n'er-do-well who comes back home from WWII with some interesting things, including a sentient aircraft, which his best friend ends up... well, you want to read it. Really - I can't imagine anyone who loves either modern or 50's SF not liking this.

Trial of Flowers, Jay Lake
This is flat out the best novel I've read in a long time. It ranks right up with China Miéville's Perdido Street Station, which it has been compared with - and as much as I like that book (very, very much), I think this is better. It is a bit more accessible; the narrative is more straightforward and I think the story itself is more compelling. It has three protagonists, all of who undergo very large changes while trying to defend their city (The City Imperishable) from those who would destroy it. As I said, Lake is a recent discovery for me - through the good offices of danjite - and I'm really very happy to have done so. He has two novels coming out soon; I'll definitely be purchasing both of them.

Strange Itineraries, Tim Powers
Powers has long been one of my favorites, though I know that his brand of fantasy isn't everyone's cup of tea. This is the first of his short story collections, and as I expected, all the stories are gems. My favorite is "The Way Down the Hill" an interesting take on the old theme of "a small family of immortals living in our midst".

Three Days to Never, Tim Powers
This is a recent novel, and again, one of the best treatments of time travel that I've ever read (Powers' earlier novel The Anubis Gates notwithstanding); it's set in modern day Southern California, and deals with the interactions of a widowed father and his just-about-teenaged daughter; the secretive time-travel plot - and the characters that he uses are deeply spooky, and very well done.

King Rat, China Miéville
What can I say? This is a novel on the scale of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, which it superficially resembles in basic outline. Being a Miéville novel, though, it's significantly darker and more disturbing. It's also good - though I imagine you'd have to like Miéville in the first place. Our hero Saul is not what he seems - but he doesn't know this himself - and he's immediately thrust into situations where he has to learn quickly. It's a very high-tension book, and as such, it's very hard to put down. The plot is a well thought out supernatural thriller, set in and under present day London. It's good stuff.

The R. Crumb Handbook, R. Crumb and Peter Poplaski
This is a terrific memoir by another one of my favorite comic artist/writers (yes, I really do like his stuff). It really gives more of a feel for who he is than I've seen before; plus it has a lot of his comics and other drawings, and came with a CD of his music!

Changing Planes, Ursula K. Le Guin
A collection of short stories, all on the same theme - planary travel. This is a wonderful, whimsical book, done with Le Guin's usual lyrical style, and with a healthy dose of wit, some subtle, some not as much so. The copy I have also has some very nice illustrations by Eric Beddows. As usual for me with Le Guin's books, I tore through this one very quickly, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

After I finished Changing Planes, I finally picked up my copy of Pico Iyer's The Lady and The Monk - and so far, it's captivating.

Hey danjite

Fri, 09 Feb 2007 15:55:28 GMT

I wonder if we can get these guys to add Spagthorpe parts and motors to their line of JAP goodies...

To my many pagan friends...

Fri, 02 Feb 2007 16:04:09 GMT

Happy Imbolc. Watch out for them snakes, yo.

Sick

Fri, 05 Jan 2007 15:55:53 GMT

I'm still alive, but I've been pretty ill since Tuesday night. I'm currently attempting to work.

Yo, wolfieboy!

Wed, 20 Dec 2006 16:42:03 GMT

Happy birthday!

Friends list trimmed.

Fri, 15 Dec 2006 16:17:51 GMT

[insert standard disclaimers][insert standard escape clause][insert standard apology][etc]

All comments screened.

[insert pathetic whining here] I need a back massage. Hrpmh

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 23:13:34 GMT

So, any of you out there with training and a portable table (I know that kineticphoenix does and I know she's quite good, but I'm under the impression that she is mucho busy at the moment) want to wander over to Chez Rocket house this evening and work on my back, perchance? Can work with cash/check/barter.

Baaa

Fri, 24 Nov 2006 17:36:26 GMT

Ok, that music meme. Since I'm bored here at work (feh). I went to the site. looked up the year I turned 18 (1983) and got their list of that year's "greatest hits".
My clissifications:
Love
Currently loaded on my iPod
~~dislike~~
Don't remember
Songs I merely like will be in plaintext.

1. It's Raining Men - The Weather Girls
2. Come On Eileen - Dexy's Midnight Runners
~~3. Flashdance (What A Feeling) - Irene Cara~~
~~4. Billie Jean - Michael Jackson~~
~~5. Wanna Be Starting Something - Michael Jackson~~
6. You and I - Eddie Rabbitt and Crystal Gayle
7. Rock The Casbah - The Clash
8. Bang The Drum All Day - Todd Rundgren
9. Ain't Nobody - Rufus and Chaka Khan
10. Kiss The Bride - Elton John
11. Electric Avenue - Eddie Grant
12. Seperate Ways (Worlds Apart) - Journey
13. Let's Go Dancin' (Ooh La, la, La) - Kool and the Gang
~~14. We've Got Tonight - Kenny Rogers and Sheena Easton~~
~~15. **1999** - Prince~~
16. Rio - Duran Duran
17. Sexual Healing - Marvin Gaye
18. New Year's Day - U2
~~19.Beat It - Michael Jackson~~
20. I Melt With You - Modern English
21. Down Under - Men At Work
22. Candy Girl - New Edition
~~23. Do You Really Want To Hurt Me - Culture Club~~
24. Pass The Dutchie - Musical Youth
~~25. Faithfully - Journey~~
~~26. Rock of Ages - Def Leppard~~
27. Tonight I Celebrate My Love - Peabro Bryson & Roberta Flack
28. True - Spandau Ballet
29. Inside Love (So Personal) - George Benson
3~~0. All Night Long (All Night) - Lionel Ritchie~~
31. Safety Dance - Men Without Hats
~~32. Little Red Corvette - Prince~~
33. Our House - Madness
34. Tell Her About It - Billy Joel
35. Mornin' - Al Jarreau
~~36. Total Eclipse of the Heart - Bonnie Tyler~~
37. Boogie Down - Al Jarreau
38. Sharp Dressed Man - ZZ Top
~~39. Photograph - Def Leppard~~
40. Mr. Roboto - Styx
41. The Look Of Love - ABC
42. Rockit - Herbie Hancock
43. (She's) Sexy and 17 - Stray Cats
44. Shock The Monkey - Peter Gabriel
45. Let's Dance - David Bowie
46. Just Be Good To Me - S.O.S. Band
47. Every Breath You Take - Police
48. I Like It - DeBarge
49. White Wedding - Billy Idol
50. Bad Boys - Wham! U.K.
~~51. She Works Hard For The Money - Donna Summer~~
52. Just Got Lucky - JoBoxers
53. I'll Tumble 4 Ya - Culture Club
54. Gimma All Your Lovin' - ZZ Top
55. Uptown Girl - Billy Joel
56. Stray Cat Strut - Stray Cats
57. She Blinded Me With Science - Thomas Dolby
58. Goodnight Saigon - Billy Joel
59. Freak-A-Zoid - Midnight Star
60. The Monkey Time - The Tubes
~~61. Making Love Out Of Nothing At All - Air Supply~~
62. Love My Way - Psychedelic Furs
~~63. Cum On Feel The Noize - Quiet Riot~~
64. Change - Tears For Fears
65. Radio Free Europe - R.E.M.
66. Puttin' On The Ritz - Taco
67. Maniac - Michael Sembello
68. Let Me Go - Heaven 17
69. Reap The Wild Wind - Untravox
70. Holiday Road - Lindsey Buckingham
71. Burning Down The House - Talking Heads
72. Jeopardy - Greg Kihn Band
~~73. Too Shy - Kajagoogoo~~
74. A Million Miles Away - The Plimsouls
75. One Thing Leads To Another - the Fixx

SF Book meme...

Wed, 15 Nov 2006 16:21:33 GMT

This is a list of the 50 most significant science fiction/fantasynovels, 1953-2002, according to the Science Fiction Book Club.
Bold the ones you've read.
Strike-out the ones you hated
Italicize those you started but never finished
Put an asterisk* beside the ones you loved.

1. The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien*
2. The Foundation Trilogy, Isaac Asimov
3. Dune, Frank Herbert*
4. Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein*
5. A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin*
6. Neuromancer, William Gibson*
7. Childhood's End, Arthur C. Clarke
8. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick*
9. The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley
10. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury*
~~11. The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe~~
12. A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr.
13. The Caves of Steel, Isaac Asimov
14. Children of the Atom, Wilmar Shiras
15. Cities in Flight, James Blish*
16. The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett
17. Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison
18. Deathbird Stories, Harlan Ellison*
19. The Demolished Man, Alfred Bester*
20. Dhalgren, Samuel R. Delany
21. Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey
~~22. Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card~~
~~23. The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Stephen R. Donaldson~~
24. The Forever War, Joe Haldeman*
25. Gateway, Frederik Pohl
26. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, J.K. Rowling*
27. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams*
28. I Am Legend, Richard Matheson
29. Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice
30. The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin
31. Little, Big, John Crowley
32. Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny
33. The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick*
34. Mission of Gravity, Hal Clement*
35. More Than Human, Theodore Sturgeon
36. The Rediscovery of Man, Cordwainer Smith
37. On the Beach, Nevil Shute
38. Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke*
39. Ringworld, Larry Niven*
40. Rogue Moon, Algis Budrys
41. The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien
42. Slaughterhouse-5, Kurt Vonnegut*
43. Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson*
44. Stand on Zanzibar, John Brunner*
45. The Stars My Destination, Alfred Bester*
46. Starship Troopers, Robert A. Heinlein*
47. Stormbringer, Michael Moorcock
48. The Sword of Shannara, Terry Brooks
49. Timescape, Gregory Benford
~~50. To Your Scattered Bodies Go, Philip Jose Farmer~~