Not enough facepalm in the world

Jesus jumping Christ on a pogo stick, this again?

I just read Foz Meadows’ post over here responding to Paul Cook’s piece at Amazing Stories about “When Science Fiction Isn’t Science Fiction”. Foz has several quotes from the piece in question, and, SPOILER ALERT: apparently, according to Mr. Cook, SF isn’t SF when it’s written by women. Because they’re writing about girly things that only women with their girly brains would be interested in, and that people like Lois McMaster Bujold are writing thinly disguised romance novels, not “real SF”.

Lois. McMaster. Bujold. Let that sink in for a minute, you guys.

Also, he has a side helping of going all ranty mcrantypants about steampunk, especially when steampunk involves zombies, so apparently Cherie Priest isn’t writing real SF either.

And I’m not sure what makes me go WHAT IS THIS I DON’T EVEN more: that he’s got it in his pointy little head that only women are interested in reading about things like balls, gossiping in corridors, palace intrigues, and the like; that presumably, by contrast, he must therefore also believe that women aren’t interested in reading about rocketships or whatever ground he feels that “real SF” actually breaks; or that he pulls in comparisons to Alexandre Dumas. Comma, the guy who wrote The Three Musketeers, which last I checked was chock full of swashbuckly manly action and palace intrigue, so I can’t even figure out where the hell he was going with this.

(I don’t even know where the hell I’d fall in this guy’s perception of readership, either. I am a female reader who gives exactly zero fucks about fancy shoes or fancy purses in my personal life. I’m way more interested in spending my money on computers and musical instruments. I also generally give zero fucks about sex scenes, but I do like reading about a love story. I’ve got some hard SF on my shelves, too. None of which would make a damn bit of difference, I think, since I am after all still a girl.)

And don’t even get me started on the digs against the entire romance genre. I’ve expressed my deep frustration before with SF readers snarking on romance (and how a LOT of it is driven by sexism). A whole HELL of a lot of other writers have continued to express their frustration over this as the year continues, including this excellent post by Ann Aguirre, asking exactly what the hell is wrong with having sex in SF, anyway?

I saw James Nicoll link up to this a couple days ago too, and only paid passing attention at the time. I kind of wish I’d continued to pay passing attention. But on the other hand, women in SF/F don’t really have the luxury of not paying attention to this.

We have to keep talking about it until it stops.

ETA: Link roundup for other people’s commentary!

J.B. Whelan has a great skewering of this entire concept, written by his wife Stephanie, quoted in full over here. BWAHAHAHAHA.

Chris Meadows points and laughs.

Cora Buhlert facepalms right along with the rest of us.

Steven Brust pretty much makes the o.O face over here.

Mirrored from angelahighland.com.

Not enough facepalm in the world

Jesus jumping Christ on a pogo stick, this again?

I just read Foz Meadows’ post over here responding to Paul Cook’s piece at Amazing Stories about “When Science Fiction Isn’t Science Fiction”. Foz has several quotes from the piece in question, and, SPOILER ALERT: apparently, according to Mr. Cook, SF isn’t SF when it’s written by women. Because they’re writing about girly things that only women with their girly brains would be interested in, and that people like Lois McMaster Bujold are writing thinly disguised romance novels, not “real SF”.

Lois. McMaster. Bujold. Let that sink in for a minute, you guys.

Also, he has a side helping of going all ranty mcrantypants about steampunk, especially when steampunk involves zombies, so apparently Cherie Priest isn’t writing real SF either.

And I’m not sure what makes me go WHAT IS THIS I DON’T EVEN more: that he’s got it in his pointy little head that only women are interested in reading about things like balls, gossiping in corridors, palace intrigues, and the like; that presumably, by contrast, he must therefore also believe that women aren’t interested in reading about rocketships or whatever ground he feels that “real SF” actually breaks; or that he pulls in comparisons to Alexandre Dumas. Comma, the guy who wrote The Three Musketeers, which last I checked was chock full of swashbuckly manly action and palace intrigue, so I can’t even figure out where the hell he was going with this.

(I don’t even know where the hell I’d fall in this guy’s perception of readership, either. I am a female reader who gives exactly zero fucks about fancy shoes or fancy purses in my personal life. I’m way more interested in spending my money on computers and musical instruments. I also generally give zero fucks about sex scenes, but I do like reading about a love story. I’ve got some hard SF on my shelves, too. None of which would make a damn bit of difference, I think, since I am after all still a girl.)

And don’t even get me started on the digs against the entire romance genre. I’ve expressed my deep frustration before with SF readers snarking on romance (and how a LOT of it is driven by sexism). A whole HELL of a lot of other writers have continued to express their frustration over this as the year continues, including this excellent post by Ann Aguirre, asking exactly what the hell is wrong with having sex in SF, anyway?

I saw James Nicoll link up to this a couple days ago too, and only paid passing attention at the time. I kind of wish I’d continued to pay passing attention. But on the other hand, women in SF/F don’t really have the luxury of not paying attention to this.

We have to keep talking about it until it stops.

ETA: Link roundup for other people’s commentary!

J.B. Whelan has a great skewering of this entire concept, written by his wife Stephanie, quoted in full over here. BWAHAHAHAHA.

Chris Meadows points and laughs.

Cora Buhlert facepalms right along with the rest of us.

Steven Brust pretty much makes the o.O face over here.

Mirrored from angelahighland.com.

Book roundup post to clear out the re-buy backlog and also new stuff

Picked up in paperback from B&N:

• Cold Days, by Jim Butcher. The last released Dresden Files. Because I was waiting for this to hit mass market, so I could go ahead and finally pick it up. I love me some Dresden but not at $14.99 a pop for the ebook.
• Chimes at Midnight, by Seanan McGuire. The latest Toby Daye. Because Seanan
• Terminated, by Rachel Caine. Book 3 of her Revivalist series.

Picked up from Smashwords:

• Finding Home, by M.M. Justus, a.k.a. mmegaera! Historical romance with a side helping of time travel. This is the third in her series, and she just released it. Check her out over here and tell her I sent you.

Picked up electronically from B&N:

• Cold Days, by Jim Butcher. Because picking it up electronically too, now that the price has finally dropped.
• Bone Crossed and Silver Borne, by Patricia Briggs. Books 4 and 5 of Briggs’ Mercy Thompson series. Re-buy electronically of books previously owned in print.

And, picked up electronically from Kobo, which were all electronic re-buys of books previously owned in print:

• The Mystery of Grace and Muse and Reverie, by Charles de Lint.
• Veil of Lies, by Jeri Westerson. Had grabbed this one before because it was described as medieval noir, and I liked the sound of that.

154 for the year.

Mirrored from angelahighland.com.

Book roundup post to clear out the re-buy backlog and also new stuff

Picked up in paperback from B&N:

• Cold Days, by Jim Butcher. The last released Dresden Files. Because I was waiting for this to hit mass market, so I could go ahead and finally pick it up. I love me some Dresden but not at $14.99 a pop for the ebook.
• Chimes at Midnight, by Seanan McGuire. The latest Toby Daye. Because Seanan
• Terminated, by Rachel Caine. Book 3 of her Revivalist series.

Picked up from Smashwords:

• Finding Home, by M.M. Justus, a.k.a. mmegaera! Historical romance with a side helping of time travel. This is the third in her series, and she just released it. Check her out over here and tell her I sent you.

Picked up electronically from B&N:

• Cold Days, by Jim Butcher. Because picking it up electronically too, now that the price has finally dropped.
• Bone Crossed and Silver Borne, by Patricia Briggs. Books 4 and 5 of Briggs’ Mercy Thompson series. Re-buy electronically of books previously owned in print.

And, picked up electronically from Kobo, which were all electronic re-buys of books previously owned in print:

• The Mystery of Grace and Muse and Reverie, by Charles de Lint.
• Veil of Lies, by Jeri Westerson. Had grabbed this one before because it was described as medieval noir, and I liked the sound of that.

154 for the year.

Mirrored from angelahighland.com.