Babel Clash

Our new topic comes to you in the spirit of the Olympics.

From Hercules to Frodo, how important is it that authors present physical prowess believably? How strong is too strong?  As we take a look at our heroes in fantasy and science fiction, do you want their athleticism to be realistic or is superhuman power (magical, cybernetic, etc.) expected?

Also in the Olympic spirit, I’m passing the torch to a new moderator here on Babel Clash.  Please welcome Terry.   She is a collaborator in all things science fiction, fantasy, graphic novels & horror here at Borders.  I’m personally very excited to see where she takes Babel Clash next.

Since this is a transitional period, now is a great time for us to collect feedback.  We have many ideas for updates and improvements that we hope to implement in 2010.  We want to create a site and a community that you enjoy and respect, so we’re happy to collect your feedback. Please post your comments with suggestions.

I’d like to thank the staff of Circle of Seven Productions for their technical assistance and creative support. Please check out their page.

I’m now managing the Borders Ink Facebook page, our site dedicated to the graphic novels & young adult categories.  If you’re a fan, please check it out.

It’s been fun.  Good luck, Terry!  Now, please welcome Tom and Joel.

Thanks again to Amber and Anton.

Tune in tomorrow to find out the topic of our next conversation with Tom Lloyd and Joel Shepherd.

Also, there’s some exciting Babel Clash news to share.  Find out more tomorrow.

Amber and Anton, thank you for contributing to our discussion on Babel Clash.  Please take this opportunity with your last couple of posts to share any information with us that you’d like regarding Cat’s Claw and Dead Matter.  Also, please feel welcome to share any news regarding other upcoming projects.

Both titles are now available online or at your local Borders or Waldenbooks store and on Borders.com.

In the spirit of our conversation about “reluctant adults,” please check out the urban fantasy blog where Anton contributes, the League of Reluctant Adults.

Lots of Urban Fantasy questions on my mind today.  Anton and Amber, feel free to respond to any that you choose.

Urban fantasy is the hot genre in the SF&F category, and that’s been the case for the past few years.  Do you see that changing anytime soon?  Do we have a timeless formula here?  Keep in mind that I use “formula” loosely, sort of like how Robert Jordan and Terry Brooks follow the Tolkien epic fantasy “formula.”

In epic fantasy, we sometimes see rival camps.  There are those who like their high fantasy epic and optimistic, like Tolkien, and those who crave some blending of weirdness and grim realism, like Moorcock.  Do you see camps forming along those lines in the urban fantasy fan base?  If there are, do fans line up behind the sexy stories (like Laurell K. Hamilton’s) or the more action-packed (Jim Butcher, for example)?

Is it important that UF remain rooted in familiar cities, such as San Francisco or Chicago?  If the setting shifts to someplace more fantastical, is it still the same genre?  Does it matter to you?

Do you remember the Thieves’ World series from back in the late ’70s and early ’80s?  Robert Asprin created the city of Sanctuary and then invited all of these other authors (Poul Anderson, C. J. Cherryh, Marion Zimmer Bradley, etc.) to write stories set there.  They wrote both anthologies and novels.

So this talk of a loose confederation of writers (the League of Reluctant Adults)  leaves me dreaming of an urban fantasy version of Thieves’ World.   Yes,the geek in me loves the idea of Simon Canderous crossing paths with Calliope Reaper-Jones, or Anita Blake and Harry Dresden teaming up, like in comics when Batman and Superman buddy up or  Iron Man fights the Hulk.

Imagine a fantasy melting pot with all of the angels, demons, vampires, werewolves, psychics and wizards that a fan could want.  We don’t see this kind of collaboration often, and it would be a great way to discover new writers.

Is anyone with me here, or is this just impractical crazy talk?

And one last question in the spirit of Iron Man vs. the Hulk, who does win in a fight between Simon and Callie?

We’re off and running with a brand new topic.  Does reading science fiction and fantasy make you a “reluctant adult”?

What about the authors working in these genres?  Should these “reluctant adults” tackle “serious literature” instead?  How’s that for a loaded question?

Thanks again to F. Paul Wilson.

I’m pleased to welcome two new guests to Babel Clash: Anton Strout and Amber Benson.

Anton writes the Simon Canderous novels.  The latest volume, Dead Matter, goes on-sale next week.  He is also an active blogger, writing for his own blog and group urban fantasy blog League of Reluctant Adults.

Amber has written the Ghosts of Albion series and is now working on her Calliope Reaper-Jones urban fantasy series. Her latest novel, Cat’s Claw, is also available on February 23. She played Tara on hit TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  Check out her official blog here.

Please tune in tomorrow to learn the topic of our next conversation.

Paul, thank you for joining us on Babel Clash.  With your last post or two, please take this opportunity to tell us anything else that you’d like us to know about Jack Secret Circles, your next “adult” Repairman Jack novel or any other project that you have in the works.

If anyone else has other questions for Paul, this is your chance!

Paul, I was very pleased to see volumes of your Adversary Cycle return to print after several years out-of-print.  The 2nd Adversary novel doubles as the 1st Repairman Jack novel, but Jack isn’t a prominent figure in this cycle.

Many fans may be less familiar with the Adversary Cycle.  It was finished back in the early ’90’s.  Can you speak to how it feels to have these books back in print or the process to get them back on the shelves again?

How did your experiences with the Adversary Cycle affect your creative approach to the Repairman Jack series?

Paul, in your latest “adult” Repairman Jack novel, you tackle a topic that couldn’t have been easy.  Jack is tangled up in a mystery involving 9/11 conspiracies, an alternative history regarding the collapse of the Twin Towers and Osama bin Laden.

Was tackling these topics a difficult choice?  What was at the root of the decision to take the story in this direction?  Were you happy with how it turned out?