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Steve Wilson
31 January 2007 @ 08:22 am
13 January 2007 @ 10:49 am
"Every book, whatever be its character, may be considered as a new experiment made by the human understanding" - Isaac D'Israeli
09 January 2007 @ 07:35 pm
The Death of Saddam Hussein, by Hugh Cook
The death of Saddam Hussein
Was not a final encounter
With the Big Zero.
It was not the mandated death,
The state's dispassionate administration of the law,
The reduction of the target to a cipher.
This was carnival,
Crude circus,
Rough, riotous, up close and personal,
The onlookers geekish,
Jeering for the chicken's head
To be ripped off raw and bleeding from the neck.
He died,
Under the circumstances,
As well as anyone could.
A lynch mob's nigger,
But he had sufficient of the crowbar
To slang back undaunted.
"Is this how a man acts?"
That, I read, was his question.
Of the mob, the answer is no.
Of the man who died,
A yes.
He found
In the defeat that he so richly deserved
A final victory of sorts,
I think,
A victory
Which he also deserved.
The death of Saddam Hussein
Was not a final encounter
With the Big Zero.
It was not the mandated death,
The state's dispassionate administration of the law,
The reduction of the target to a cipher.
This was carnival,
Crude circus,
Rough, riotous, up close and personal,
The onlookers geekish,
Jeering for the chicken's head
To be ripped off raw and bleeding from the neck.
He died,
Under the circumstances,
As well as anyone could.
A lynch mob's nigger,
But he had sufficient of the crowbar
To slang back undaunted.
"Is this how a man acts?"
That, I read, was his question.
Of the mob, the answer is no.
Of the man who died,
A yes.
He found
In the defeat that he so richly deserved
A final victory of sorts,
I think,
A victory
Which he also deserved.
09 January 2007 @ 07:32 pm
09 January 2007 @ 07:07 am
I'll be in Brisbane on the Australia Day long weekend (26-28 January). I won't be attending the Aurealis Awards, though.
I won't regret missing the chance to meet some great authors.
Because I'll be here:
Jealous?
I won't regret missing the chance to meet some great authors.
Because I'll be here:
Jealous?
31 December 2006 @ 10:54 am
My space archaeology site is down. It seems I've exceeded the data transfer limit for the month (on the last day of the month).
Probably because of the boost from the Thomas Harlan interview.
The site should be up again tomorrow.
If it happens again, I might have to upgrade my hosting plan.
Probably because of the boost from the Thomas Harlan interview.
The site should be up again tomorrow.
If it happens again, I might have to upgrade my hosting plan.
15 December 2006 @ 11:59 am
| |
Brian |
Steve |
kcf |
MattD, Trinalor |
| 0 |
0-2 = hate it | 0-4 - varying degree of bad, not recommended | ||
| 1 |
1-5 - varying levels of avoid at all cost. | A 1 is something I've never actually read; the editorial process is good for something! Plus, would you really trust me if I couldn't tell a 1 in advance and wasn't smart enough to avoid it? | ||
| 2 |
A 2 is a book that feels unworthy of an author, as though they're just repeating their own past work while adding nothing new. | |||
| 3 |
3-4 = dislike it | A 3 is a book that feels like an experiment gone wrong -- the author (who may well be someone whose other works I'd rate much higher) tried to do something new and it just didn't work at all, to the extent that I had trouble finishing or didn't finish the book. | ||
| 4 |
A 4 is a book that is generally competent but not particularly good in any way, or perhaps tries to be something and fails: tries to be funny but is dull; tries to be exciting but is cliched, etc. | |||
| 5 |
5-6 = it's ok | 5 - equally bad and good, not likely to recommend | A 5 is a book that had promise but reads like a first draft -- a moderate-to-good idea in need of more work and editing. | |
| 6 |
6 - A supremely flawed work but there is SOMETHING to recommend. For example 1) a continuation of a larger theme in a series. 2) one truly memorable character, scene or moment. | 6-7.5 - A good book with some obvious flaws or other factors that I didn't care for. Recommended with qualifiers. | A 6 is a book that had one or two enjoyable aspects, but suffers from one or more serious flaws: predictability and cliches are common ones; unsympathetic or unformed characters are another. Solid amateur fiction, or a typical first novel. | |
| 7 |
7's - Flaws are noticeable but there is a lot to like here. A work that shows promise. An author that bears watching. | 7-8 = like it | A 7 is a good book -- something I enjoyed reading and that has some above-average aspects that kept me going and gave the book character. It is not so good however that I have any plans to re-read it. |
|
| 7.5 |
7.5-9 - superb book with very few flaws. Highly recommended | |||
| 8 |
8's - All around solid story. | An 8 is a book that is well done all-around in terms of character, setting, writing and plot, that brings some originality and character to the table. It may also be a book that rates really high on the pure enjoyment scale, that does several things so well that I can imagine wanting to re-read it in a few years. | ||
| 8.5 |
8.5-10 = love it! | |||
| 9 |
9's - Near perfect, there may be flaws but they pale in comparison to the strengths of the book but they may be worth mentioning. | A 9 is everything an 8 is but adds a deeper sense of emotional resonance and intellectual stimulation. It's something that made me both feel and think strongly in a way that I had not before. | ||
| 9.5 |
||||
| 10 |
10 - A writer firing on all cylinders telling a story to the absolute best of their abilities. There cant be just one thing to recommend but there has to be many things. | 10 - the perfect book in every way. I'm bad with absolutes, so I doubt I'd ever give rank higher than 9 | A 10 is one of the classics, something that feels superb, unique and that has stood the test of time. It's not so much a matter of perfection as that the flaws are drowned out by the positives and the significance of the work. |