So I was reading the new issue of Entertainment Weekly the other day. In it, I was reading their article about some forthcoming things, movies, books, etc. In July, it seems, there’s a new movie about clones coming out called The Island, directed by Michael Bay, he of the kinetic action thriller (plot & characterization optional) extravaganza. Mr. Bay is quoted as saying “It’s weird to say it’s a movie about clones. I don’t even like the word clones. It makes it sound really geeky. But the movie’s not geeky in any way.”

Is it just me, or does hearing the director of a SF movie say he thinks the word “clones” makes his clone movie sound “geeky”…well, let’s just say it doesn’t inspire a whole lot of confidence. Not that I had any hope of a Michael Bay movie being good, but, well… can expectations be lowered past rock-bottom?

But anyway, since we’re all geeks here, I’m sure we all know there’s good geeky and there’s bad geeky. And based on Mr. Bay’s quote, one thing’s for sure: his clone movie will be geeky, and in the worst possible way.

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We’re acquiring stories like mad, mad I tell you! On Thursday, we did the acquisitions for this month. We bought new stuff from: Geoff Ryman, Dale Bailey, Bruce McAllister (2 stories), Harry Turtledove (political satire), Gardner Dozois, Matthew Hughes (a Guth Bandar yarn), and Albert Cowdrey. And to top things off, another new slush survivor: Matthew Corradi.

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Just a quick note to say that I’m planning to attend Lunacon (March 18-20) and Readercon (July 8-10) this year. Adjust your worshipping schedule accordingly.

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I picked up a copy of the excellent NEFSA Press Corwainer Smith collection, The Rediscovery of Man. Much to my shame, I’d previously only read what are Smith’s two most well-known stories, “Scanners Live in Vain” and “A Game of Rat and Dragon.” I’m never sure how I’ll react to a collection like this one, but I’m quite enjoying it thus far; I’m only a quarter of the way through with it, but I’ve already found several stories that I thought to be the equal of the two aforementioned celebrated tales. I especially liked “The Lady Who Sailed The Soul” and “Think Blue, Count Two.” If you want to learn more about Smith, check out his official website, maintained by his daughter, at http://www.cordwainer-smith.com/index.htm. You can even order a Cordwainer Smith t-shirt!

But speaking of “Scanners Live in Vain,” what’s the deal with that word, “Scanners,” anyway? There are at least three prominent examples I can think of it being used in SF: “Scanners Live in Vain,” Phil Dick’s A Scanner Darkly, and David Cronenburg’s film, Scanners. None of these stories are related in any way, yet they all use this same term. Isn’t that odd?

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On Monday, I went to a reading in the city, part of the New York Review of Science Fiction reading series, held every month at The South Street Seaport Museum’s Melville Gallery. I attended the reading to see my friend and colleague John Langan, but much to my delight the other reader on the ticket turned out to be none other than Samuel R. Delany, so that was a nice surprise.

John read a section from one of his novels-in-progress (he’s working on two simultaneously…I really want to read the first one but he’s put off finishing it to work on this new one, grumble grumble). Chip Delany, meanwhile, gave a rousing performance of his classic from Dangerous Visions, “Aye, and Gomorrah…”

Afterward, a few of us went out for dinner. Chip couldn’t make it, but Gordon, David Barr Kirtley, Amy Goldschlager, Jim Freund, John Langan, and I all went to a little Irish pub around the corner. Topics of discussion included Jeff VanderMeer’s non-fiction collection, the merits of Michael Chabon, and the possibility of digitizing Jim Freund’s incredible audio history of SF…which is all stored on old analog reels in his basement.

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