Babel Clash

Tom’s point about the idea of infallible & omnipresent gods being a relatively recent innovation in human history got me thinking about deities in fantasy that are no where near perfect or omniscient.  Some of my favorites from the list I came up with are Galactus, Devourer of Worlds, Cthulhu who brings to light the insignificance of humanity, and the Authority from Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials Trilogy (the Authority happens to be my personal favorite fallible deity).  Why do I love these deities?  Because they’re not perfect.  They’re destructive or frail or overwhelming or chaotic.  I find them more compelling because they’re not perfectly knowledgeable or perfectly benevolent.  I guess I want a little snap and pizazz and uncertainty from my deities.

Anyway, thinking about the last two also led me to this fun poll . . . Cage Match 2010.

Being female, I have a visceral reaction to the idea that women are frail.  Once I’m past that initial flare, I have to admit that most of the men I know could take me in a fair fight.  That’s just the way it is.  But the fact remains that there are plenty of women in fantasy & science fiction who kick butt and take names (my personal favorite being Eowyn - I will admit to having her speechto the Nazgul memorized), which makes me wonder if I shouldn’t propose a third possibility beyond counter-balance or highlight.  What if women often serve the same sort of role tricksters fill in folklore?  Could butt-kicking women be there to demonstrate that sometimes being clever, quick, or more skillful can allow you to triumph over brute strength?  What do you say?

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?

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?

Borders in one of the few stores that maintains a distinct Horror section.  At Waldenbooks, horror titles find a home in fantasy or general fiction.  B&N shelves their King, Koontz and Straub books with general fiction.

Horror fans seem to appreciate our commitment to their genre.  On the flip side, trying to identify which titles belong in which section can be tricky.  We feature Kelley Armstrong in fantasy but Kim Harrison in horror (her adult books anyway).  We often keep an author’s work together.  So Stephen King’s Eyes of the Dragon is a fantasy, but it’s shelved in horror.  Dan Simmons’ Hyperion and Ilium novels stay in Science Fiction, but the Terror and Song of Kali live in Horror.

Sure, it would be nice to shelve a borderline book in two places.  Financially, it could mean buying twice as much inventory.  Technically, our computer system can’t handle it.  Third, we’d risk confusing customers, who might find a title only in horror one week and then only fantasy the next, as one or the other sold out.

As genres blur together (which I encourage, mind you), determining the best home for a title gets trickier.  The line between fantasy and horror is especially blurry.  For better or worse, vampires, werewolves and zombies are everywhere from Young Adult to Romance.  Zombie Romance?  Really?

F. Paul Wilson, our latest guest, has made a nice home for his work in our horror section.  What do you think?  Did we find the right home for Repairman Jack?

Hey Dan & Graham,

Congratulations on setting a new record for us here at Babel Clash.  We’ve had more visitors during your stint on Babel Clash than we have ever had before.  Take a bow, gentlemen.

I think that says a lot about your skills, how much your fans appreciate your work and the enduring popularity of stories such as the Horus Heresy.  Also, your posts have been great.  That helps, too.

And thank you to all of our guests, who’ve made the past two weeks a record.  Please keep reading and know that your comments are always welcome.

All right, with a couple of days left for these guys, I’ll step out of the way and let them close up their run here on Babel Clash with their usual style.  Guys, please feel welcome to talk about any other projects that you have in the works, or if you have more to share about Horus Heresy, then I suspect that you will find a receptive audience.