Full points to Vancouver's Trinity Baptist Church for celebrating Hallowe'en by posting a bible verse* that sounds like the elevator pitch for a zombie horror movie.
- Sid
* And it's canon:
Colossians 1:18
And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
I've been casually re-reading Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian stories - the originals from the 1930s, rather than the 1960s Lancer/Ace pastiches or the later efforts by other authors* - and I'm currently finishing off The Hour of the Dragon, Howard's only full novel-length tale of the grim Cimmerian warrior's adventures. Howard has a deft hand as an author: he's no Tolkien, but his style is well suited to his chosen material. However, even the best writers occasionally slip up, and Howard is no exception.
In The Hour of the Dragon, Conan has managed to achieve the throne of Aquilonia, one of the newer nations in Howard's Hyborian Age. However, his enemies have summoned up Xaltotun, a centuries-dead wizard, to aid them in invading Aquilonia, and they succeed in defeating Conan and his army through black sorcery. Conan is taken prisoner but manages to escape, and then seeks to find the Heart of Ahriman, a magical jewel which can be used to send Xaltotun back to the grave and allow Conan to regain his throne.
Howard writes the following descriptions of Conan's armour, specifically his helmet, over the course of his search for the gem:
Conan rode a great black stallion, the gift of Trocero. He no longer wore the armor of Aquilonia. His harness proclaimed him a veteran of the Free Companies, who were of all races. His head piece was a plain morion, dented and battered.
He heard a rush of feet, a bellow of oxlike agony. He was stunned but not wholly senseless, and realized that Beloso had caught up the iron box and crashed it down on his head as he stooped. Only his basinet had saved his skull.
Conan reeled out of the chamber, sword in hand, blood streaming down his face from under his burganet.
Whereas I appreciate Howard's desire to avoid repeating himself in his description of Conan's headgear, in this case he's actually gotten things completely mixed up in the process. The history of arms is a catalogue of description: the Roman lorica is distinct in its characteristics as opposed to Viking lamellar armour, and the evolution from 15th century full Gothic plate to 16th century Maximillian armour is quite clear.**
In this case, Conan begins his trip wearing a morion, a high-combed brimmed helmet from the 16th century, generally associated with Spanish conquistadors.
However, Howard then refers to Conan's helm as a basinet, which is a medieval open-faced helmet with a conical peak, generally worn with a chain mail aventail or scarf, and often equipped with a visor.
Conan then staggers out of the chamber in a burganet, a full-headed, high-peaked Renaissance helmet with a brim, and neck and cheek guards.
Admittedly, it's not like Howard could sit down at his keyboard and Google variations in armour, but it's still a surprising run of contradictory nomenclature - and a slightly ironic one, considering that generally illustrators have decided to equip Conan with some kind of non-functional fantasy helm with little horns on it.
- Sid
* Even some of the versions of the Conan stories that claim to be "original" suffer from minor changes in the hands of well-meaning editors. I suppose I could track down the individual stories through The Pulp Project, which has scans of early pulp magazines such as Weird Tales that published many of Howard's stories, but it feels like a lot of work.
** This is all drawn from my OTHER hobby, military history. As with my science fiction/fantasy/gaming/comics/movies fandom, I haven't focused on a specific area, but have a general historical interest in the field.
In addition to finding a Captain Canuck comic book that was a long way from home while shopping in Cardiff, I also spotted a bit of a curiousity, which, really, is what I most love to find in a used book store.
In this case, it was The Other Sky, a hard cover collection of Keith Laumer stories published by Dobson Science Fiction*, an imprint that was completely new to me - and I have a LOT of books.
Keith Laumer is a bit of a favourite author of mine, and that, coupled with the unknown provenance of the book's publisher, made it an easy purchasing decision at the modest price of ten pounds sterling - along with a pound and a half for the comic book.
However, the book had more than its share of the distinctive smell of old paper, with a touch of mould in the mix. As such, I bagged it up tightly for the remaining few days of our trip and kept it out of my luggage for as long as possible.
Once home, I did some research on the topic of old book smell, and the internet advised that I seal up the book with the contents of a box of baking soda in an airtight container for a few days. I was a bit amused to find out that the easy solution was apparently the same as dealing with refrigerator odour, and added baking soda to the shopping list.
Once equipped wth baking soda, I emptied out an appropriately sized plastic bin, dumped in the contents of the box, and put in a couple of vintage 35mm plastic film canisters as supports.
I added the innovation of a few toothpicks to spread some of the pages out and provide more surface area for the process, and sealed up the box.
I removed the lid three days later, and a cautious sniff revealed that there was still some lingering mustiness, but that it was overall much reduced. I put the lid back on and gave it a full week of adeodorizing, and the result is an almost odourless book - voilà, the system works, as I like to say.
- Sid
* As it turns out, Dobson Books was essentially a one-man publishing imprint run by one Dennis Dobson from 1944 until his death in 1978. Based in London and described as "a small but very literary and somewhat idiosyncratic firm", Dobson published a wide range of science fiction in addition to its other offerings. To my mild amusement, the Wikipedia listing for Dobson concludes with:
After his death the publishing company was wound down and his widow bought and restored Brancepeth Castle.
I love the implication that she was just waiting for Dennis to get out of the way so that she could ditch all of this publishing nonsense and follow her passion by buying a fixer-up fortification.
Spotted in Kerrisdale after a ramen run - I don't know what one of these would cost, but it would certainly be a damn good start on a Martian Hallowe'en costume.
- Sid
Today marks the six month anniversary of my retirement. Was it the right time to pull the plug, as they say?
Well, let's put it this way. You know you're burned out when you actually start thinking, "You know, if there was an apocalypse, it would be bad, sure, but at least I wouldn't have to go to work..."
- Sid
For my birthday this year, we decided to use the Air Canada gift certificate generously provided by my employers as a retirement gift, and pay a quick visit to the United Kingdom. My lovely wife Karli has some Welsh in her ancestry, and as such when I suggested that we spend a few days in Cardiff as part of our trip, she was excited to have an opportunity to see a bit of her family's origins.
After a few days in London, where I picked up an autographed Joe Abercrombie hardcover and a Star Trek t-shirt at the flagship Forbidden Planet megastore on Shaftesbury Avenue*, we hopped on the train and headed off to Cardiff.
After dropping off our luggage at our hotel**, we headed out to explore, and were instantly charmed by Cardiff.
One of the old city's noteworthy features are the seven covered arcades, home to retail outlets, dining spots, bars, coffee shops, and various other commercial locations, making for an entertaining stroll sheltered from the fall Welsh rain that we were experiencing. As I generally do when visiting a new city, I had done a search for used book stores, and found that there was a small book shop, Troutmark Books, located in one of the arcades near the castle - Castle Arcade, in fact.
After visiting the castle, we crossed the street, entered the arcade, and eventually made a stop at the store. As I was browsing their science fiction and fantasy section, Karli nudged me and pointed at the used comic bins behind me, where I saw THE ISSUE OF CAPTAIN CANUCK WITH THE COVER ART FROM THE T-SHIRT THAT I RECEIVED FOR MY BIRTHDAY.
Of course, I bought it - of course I bought it! I can only wonder at the path that this comic book had travelled to get from Canada to a used bookstore bin in Wales, but I was not going to deny it a chance at repatriation - I'd like to think someone would do the same for me under similar circumstances.
- Sid
* Just for the record, we also saw Hamilton and MJ: The Musical, and I bought a Yellow Submarine t-shirt at the Beatles Store on Baker Street - man (or woman) does not live by bread alone, as they say.
** An unsolicited recommendation: the Cardiff Marriott hotel is excellent. It's conveniently located close to the city centre, Cardiff Castle, and the railway station, the staff were extremely friendly and helpful, and they were kind enough to reduce our bill when we mentioned that there was a bit of a problem with the HVAC in our room.
Thanks to Paul McCartney, turning 64 has become almost as much of a milestone as 65, at least for those of us who remember the Beatles.
In recognition of my birthday this year, I was amused to receive a superhero-themed JibJab™video from my inlaws, Faye and Steve, and my lovely wife Karli presented me with a replacement for my battered Kennedy Space Center NASA baseball hat, and a Captain Canuck t-shirt, both welcome additions to my wardrobe.
I haven't actually been home for a birthday for several years, but this year the timing worked out for a trip departure the day after - we leave for a whirlwind six day visit to the United Kingdom tomorrow afternoon, starting in London and then off to Cardiff for a couple of days.
It's not a specifically geek-oriented trip, although our London stay will undoubtedly include the usual shopping trip to the Forbidden Planet megastore. Sadly, in spite of BBC Cardiff being the home for production of Doctor Who since its 2005 revival, the Cardiff Doctor Who Experience has been closed since 2017, and the show is not currently in production. Oh well, perhaps there will be a chance to at least visit the shrine to Torchwood's Ianto Jones, as previously documented in a guest posting by my friend Chris - we'll see how things go!
- Sid
This month's West Coast Speculative Fiction Association newsletter arrived in my In box early in the morning of September 2nd, and mixed in with the other event announcements was a promo for the annual four-day Friends of the Vancouver Public Library Gently Used Book Sale, running from September the 4th to the 7th.
One of the advantages of retirement is having the free time to attend things like this on a weekday, so on the morning of the 4th I geared up, selected a suitably sturdy shopping bag, and headed downtown to the Central Vancouver Library to see what was for sale.
When I arrived just five minutes after the start time of the sale, I initially thought that for some reason there had been an unexpected delay. There was a line that stretched up the stairs from the lower level sale location, proceeded down the length of the main library, and looped back around the atrium. I joined the line, expecting a brief wait while they solved whatever the issue was.
Eventually I deduced that the sale room must have reached capacity the second that the doors opened, and that the line was being fed into the room piecemeal as the initial wave of shoppers finished up and left. The line edged forward in ten or fifteen foot increments, and after about a 30 minute wait, I was ushered into the sale room.
Once inside, I felt a bit of pressure to do my shopping and clear the way for someone else in line. The selection was impressive - there were an estimated 50,000 books in the sale - and as such, it was easy to find some interesting options. That being said, I wish that I'd felt that I had more freedom to browse, I suspect that I missed some good opportunities in the two-for-a-dollar paperback tables.
Regardless, it was certainly a shopper's paradise. When I reached the point that my stack of selections was becoming difficult to balance, I decided that discretion was the better part of valour, and called it, as they say. The checkout system was interesting, in that one pair of volunteers was doing nothing but calculating the cost of books, and another set was just taking payments. I settled my bill, bagged my books, and made my way out the door and past the still impressive waiting line.
The results? Five hardcovers, four trade paperbacks, and five mass market paperbacks: total cost, $26, which seems incredibly reasonable for a bag of books whose weight made a bit uncomfortable to carry one-handed. It was a good mix of new and old texts, although as it turned out I already had a copy of Neal Asher's The Voyage of the Sable Keech*, this is what happens when you rush through things - although, with two dollar pricing on trade paperbacks, it was hardly the end of the world.
I'd never heard of Mur Lafferty** until Worldcon, another bonus for attending; I was pleased to pick up a 1969 copy of Poul Anderson's Beyond the Beyond for three dollars; I really should read the first two books in The Locked Tomb series before I pick up Nona the Ninth; and I was surprised to find out that Terry Carr's Universe short story collections were printed in hardcover, I somehow thought they were only available in paperback. The only real departure in my selections was the Black Spire/Galaxy's Edge novel - I don't normally buy Star Wars Expanded Universe/Legends novels, but how could I not buy a book that takes place in my favourite part of Disneyland?
TLDR: if you're a reader and like to own your books; if you're looking for affordable book options, if you're looking for something a little bit older or from the classics, or any combination of those three options, I strongly recommend that you keep an eye out for the next Friends of the Vancouver Public Library Gently Used Book Sale.
- Sid
* I passed over a copy of Asher's The Skinner because I thought I owned it, and chose The Sable Keech and Polity Agent instead. As it turned out, I was at least correct about already having The Skinner and not owning Polity Agent, so at least I'm two for three.
** Apparently not related to the late R. A. Lafferty, master of the science fiction short story.
In Space Babies, the first episode of Ncuti Gatwa's tenure on Doctor Who, the following exchange took place between Ruby and the Fifteenth Doctor:
It was an unexpected little meta-media tip of the hat from one iconic series to another, like listening to the cast of Friends discuss their favourite episode of Survivor.
Last week, the Star Trek franchise returned the favour in The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail, the sixth episode of Season Three of Brave New Worlds. The Enterprise is trapped inside a gargantuan scavenger ship, along with the remnants of a variety of other captured ships, including a Klingon D7-class battlecruiser, and, if you look very closely, a Type 40 Gallifreyan TARDIS in its standard British police box camouflage.
It's good to see some reciprocal recognition, although, to be honest, I hope that's as far as it goes. With the best will in the world, I can't imagine the canonical complexities that would result from an actual crossover episode, entertaining though it might well be.
- Sid
P.S. Just for the record, I did not spot this myself, but I have a strong geekish admiration for whoever did.
 |
| Event Horizon by Donato Giancola |
And now it's the day after. I have a mild Worldcon hangover - like the children in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, it all seems like a dream now. I somehow doubt that I'll attend another one, so this really was a once in a lifetime event for me.
In retrospect? It was an enormously satisfying experience in every way. If anyone reading this is a fan of the written word in science fiction and/or fantasy, I strongly suggest that you attend a Worldcon if you can: it's a rare opportunity to participate in sessions and dialogues about the things that you know and love, to pick up new information, to hear stories and anecdotes, to see some of your favourite authors read and discuss their work in person, to be introduced to new authors, to get autographs, pick up some books, old or new, buy some merch, and generally celebrate your love of the field for five days.
I'm not a very gregarious person, so I didn't attend any of the after dark events, it's not in my nature, but I applaud the people who took advantage of that opportunity to celebrate the community on the dance floor as well.
However, there were some - well, disappointments is a strong word - let's say surprises.
I thought that Tor Books would have a massive presence in the dealers room. In fact, I thought all the major publishers would be there. There was excellent representation by smaller publishing houses, but none of the major players were in attendance.
I was a bit surprised that Guest of Honour Martha Wells didn't present an award at the Hugos. There were some guest presenters - and, full disclosure, no one I knew by name - but there were some well known names in attendance, such as David Brin, Paolo Bacigalupi, Nancy Kress, and Robin Hobb, and it struck me as odd that I didn't see anyone whose name I recognized from my bookshelves handing out a rocket ship statue.
There were a few gaps in the management of the event. The first day was very obviously a learning experience for the panelists in terms of figuring out how the microphones worked, activating the voice-to-text accommodation systems, trying to connect to projectors, and otherwise dealing with tech support issues that should have been supported by the venue.
There were also some situations that required an event representative who just wasn't there, such as checking signups for the in-person author Table Talk event on the last day. I was on the standby list for Larry Niven, and the start time came and went without anyone from the convention taking charge. If there had been room at the table, I would probably have just sat down with Mr. Niven - and for all I know, some of the people filling the seats had just shown up and taken a chair.
Finally, there were several sessions where I honestly felt I could have done a better job as a panelist than the actual participants. Obviously not the more specialized sessions, such as the excellent NASA/JPL talks, but for topical programs such as War—From Star Trek to The Expanse or Man Versus Extraterrestrial Nature, I would have been able to bring as much to the table (literally) as some of the chosen panelists, if not more.
That being said, I have a general dislike of non-participant criticism, so maybe I should try to attend another Worldcon after all, and put my name in the hat as a panelist. Apparently Edmonton is in the early stages of bidding for the 2030 Worldcon, that might be my opportunity to put my money where my mouth is.
Criticism aside, the short answer is that it was an excellent event and I had a wonderful time, and I would like to thank all of the people who were involved in any way with making this Worldcon happen. My only real regret is that there was not enough time in the day to do all of the things I wanted to do.
- Sid
A selection of images from Worldcon 2025 in Seattle:
The big room - dealers, publishers, sellers, promoters...
And a Tiki Dalek.
I somehow feel that there's always a TARDIS at this sort of event - as there should be, of course.
Legendary - LEGENDARY - artist Phil Foglio, whose comic book adaptation of Robert Aspirin's Mythadventures novel is a million times funnier than the source material. I felt honoured - and a little bit shy when I asked for a photo.
Grand Master of Science Fiction Robert Silverberg mingling - I somehow expected more exciting socks.
It did taste good, but I'm sorry, this plus a Sprite is NOT a $29.91 CAD meal.
Publisher's Row.
The LOCUS booth - but where are the other magazines?
Fantasy author Robin Hobb doing sponsored booth signings. For absolutely no good reason, I always thought that Robin Hobb was a man, not that it matters.
I have thought about making a costume to go with my X-Wing pilot's helmet, but $450 USD is well above my price point - even if it comes with boots.
The venue's automated captioning system turned out to be an unexpected source of entertainment.
"If I were a rich man..."
"All day long I'd biddy dibby bum, if I were a wealthy man!"
"And I'd discuss the holy books with the learned men..."
Hard to go wrong with dinosaurs.
That being said, cephalopods are certainly having a moment. I remember when it was dolphins...
I was strongly tempted by this one, Roger Zelazny has always been one of my favourite authors - but it actually wasn't in great condition. No regrets...
A great selection, but honestly, all priced just a little bit too high - I would be able to find a lot of these locally in Vancouver for less money.
The Sistah Sci-Fi Vending Machine - better living through science.
T-shirts, anyone? Fortunately I had already used up my clothing budget on a Worldcon souvenir t-shirt.
- Sid
