Babel Clash

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?

Following up on what it means to be a reluctant adult, Carolyn Crane asked:  Where exactly did the name of Reluctant Adults come from? Was it meant from the start as a counterpoint to serious literature?

My livejournal was where I had first used the name the League of Reluctant Adults, an obvious play on one of my fave graphic novels the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (not so fave movie, tho).   When a group of us urban fantasy and paranormal romance writers invited me to join their group blog, I threw it out there as a title and voila!  It stuck.   There’s a sense of fun to the phrase… it’s inclusive, covering a growing expanse of us who think that toys and films about fighting robots and Neo Tokyo and ghosts and goblins aren’t just for kids.  Is there a need to grow beyond those things?  Not anymore.  Reluctant adults embrace them.  We don’t take things so seriously.

Speaking of taking thing seriously and going back to part of the theme of my last post, I remember Guy Gavriel Kay’s speech from the 2007 World Fantasy Awards, where he adressed the disparity between the two worlds.  Luckily I found it in whole thanks to the Interwebs.  He said:

There has always been a tension between writers who aspire to high art, enduring work, and those who pursue popular success, defining themselves as entertainers. The literati disdain the commercial while envying their bank accounts, and the bestsellers often regard the artistic as elitist and unreadable and the twain don’t do a lot of beer-drinking together.

It inspired a nervous laugh throughout the room, but it was true.  I think that in any community there’s a wish to stratify oneself, a desire to define.  Everyone tries to figure out if they are the cream of the crop or the cream of the crap.

Welcome to the Amber and Anton hour, err two week, at Babel Clash.  *slips Babel Fish in ear*  First and foremost, I’d like to thank Borders and Morgan for inviting us.  Amber promised this would be as good a place as any to harass me, but she’s such a sweetie, so I’m sure she was kidding.  At least, I hope she was.

So the first question that Morgan threw to us was:  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?

As a founding member of The League of Reluctant Adults, I am clearly biased about this.  For years, most of us who engage in fandoms of any kind always got dirty looks from outsiders.  Even now people walk by my office, look at all my geek posters and fifty or so action figures on my desk like they are visiting the two-headed goat with the traveling carnival.

But I do think that thanks to the internet and the number of television channels on the dial these days, cultural awareness of our nerdly niches have become more mainstream.  Why?  I think much of it has to do with gaining understanding.  Outsiders can read up, ask questions, explore geekdom on their own, and at the end of all that, i think they find themselves able to identify with a lot of what they encounter.

Take True Blood or Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  Yeah, they have vampires and all that paranormal stuff, but at the heart of them, what drives them?  Relationships, trying to get through their daily lives, problems that people can identify with…

I mean, I’ve always dreamed of being a sexy Louisiana waitress that falls for vampires… but I digress.

As for should us reluctant adults tackle “serious literature” instead?  I’m going to go to food for this one.  Sometimes you want to go to Morimoto’s restaurant.  he’s an Iron Chef and the food is exquisite, pricey and worth every penny.  Sometimes I hanker for Chik-fil-A, which is fast food, not pricey and I have no idea who dropped my waffle fries in the oil.  Regardless, Chik-fil-A is exquisite in its own way.  It fills my need.  I don’t really wonder if the chefs at either restaurant should be changing roles. I’m just happy they excel at what they do and that it feeds me.

I see a lot of flame wars out there where the literary authors poo poo the mass market writers and the mass market authors poo poo them as well.  I don’t see the need for it.  I think the differences are what help to keep everyone fed out there, depending on their appetite.  I strive to write the best books I can, but are they literary?  Hell to the no.   I won’t pretend that I go there, but hopefully they are damn fine entertainment.

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.

Not to blatantly self promote Babel Clash, but my favorite con moment was last year’s Babel Clash panel at Comic Con.  Okay, so it blatant self-promotion, but still, I think it’s fun.  We had our first live geeky debate on the topic:  “Urban fantasy vs. Epic Fantasy.”  Our guests were Patrick Rothfuss, Seanan McGuire, Rob Thurman, Kat Richardson, Jeanne Stein, Amber Benson and Thomas Sniegoski.

You can find the clips on YouTube.

Babel Clash Live Debate part 1
Babel Clash Live Debate part 2

Yes, we are planning some new live debates for 2010.  More information to come in the months ahead.

Here is the video from our Babel Clash live debate in San Diego.

Our topic:  Urban fantasy vs. epic fantasy.  These are the two hottest genres in science fiction and fantasy, and we debated the reasons for their popularity.  Please check out parts 1 & 2 of the debate.

From left to right on your screen, our guests are:  Patrick Rothfuss, Seanan McGuire, Rob Thurman, Kat Richardson, Jeanne Stein, Amber Benson and Thomas Sniegoski.

Video Part 1

Part 2 is forthcoming soon!