SFDG

Saturday, August 27, 2005

Ilium-related artwork

(a similar note was posted to the mailing list)

François Baranger did a nice illustration of the end of Chapter 37. You can see it at http://www.francois-baranger.com/paintings/ilium1.htm . (Or click the title link above.)

There's also a small version of this image on the first Gallery page of Dan Simmons's official web site. I prefer the large version because you can see details. On the gallery page, there's also an image of Mahnmut and Orphu (halfway down the page on the left); IMHO, it's too cutesy, but your mileage may vary.

Friday, August 26, 2005

Ilium

(Raja's report)

We met and discussed Ilium at Borders last night. Thanks to Peter for providing the cookies (and probably keeping the Buddhist group at bay ;-). Thanks to Dedaimia for running the meeting.

A new person, Pat, showed up and watched the meeting. She said she would come to our next meeting ;-).

Votes were as follows:












Abe9
Alek9
Dedaimia9*
Dru8
Ignacio9***
Jeff4**
Kate8
Michael9
Raja10
Simms10


* Dedaimia initially voted 5 on the grounds that Ilium was "half a novel" and that after finishing Olympos, she would probably give "the complete novel" a 10. Raja objected to this, so Dedaimia changed her vote to 9 ;-).

** Jeff initially voted a 6 but changed to a 4 to be consistent with Dedaimia ;-).

*** Ignacio messaged his vote to Raja on September 7 2005:


(21:25:47) Ignacio: not a 10 because it didn't end

(21:26:47) Ignacio: The story of Deaman and Harman doesn't tie with the others...

(21:26:47) Ignacio: so i don't agree with your assessment it was a good ending point ;).


Abe and Alek had also read Olympos (and occasionally let slip a point from the later novel).

Gregory hadn't finished the book (and sent Raja an email the night before griping about it), but had started to really enjoy it and definitely planned to finish. Many people objected to the ending (Jeff said that he'd finally gotten to the point that he was enjoying it when it suddenly became "To Be Continued"), though Dru and Raja argued that it was a fitting end. Dru pointed out that the book ends at a point of "freedom"; most of the lies and deceptions have been seen through, and the characters are free to do as they wish. Raja pointed out that the penultimate chapter ends almost exactly along the lines of the first sentences of the book (in the Author's Note before the novel starts).

Dedaimia, who teaches the Iliad professionally said that Simmons had done an excellent job of keeping true to the original characters.

Most members of the group really liked the book; everyone Raja asked said they would read Olympos (and he asked everyone except Jeff and Dru).

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

21st Century Writers

Here's a bit of amusing satire written by game designer Allen Varney in the mid-1980s. Fans of Heinlein, Varley, and Spider Robinson take note ;-)

Monday, August 01, 2005

Stanislaw Lem on the Web

Alek posted this to the SFDG mailing list.