Babel Clash

Good times roll…get it? Roll the dice…RPGs…anyone?

Seriously though, I really enjoyed having Jim, Pat, and Anton on the blog these past two weeks. It was an honor to have all three of them post for our readers. As I’m prone to do, I’d like to offer up today for them to plug anything they’d like…just in case you weren’t quite sure who they are or what they write….

Then, when the dust settles, tomorrow we usher in two great new guests.

First, we’d like to welcome Ann Aguirre back to the blog! She last appeared the first year Babel Clash debuted and we’re happy to have her back! Her latest YA novel, Enclave, comes out tomorrow.  This novel follows a 15-year-old girl named Deuce who lives in a post-apocalyptic future where people life expentancy doesn’t reach much further than their mid-20s.  She is forced to team up with a mysterious hunter named Fade.  As a team, they learn of a growing threat to their enclave, that when revealed, they get exiled out of their underground home.

And if Ann wasn’t busy enough, the latest in her Corine Solomon series came out last week! With all that going on, we’re grateful to have Ann on the blog!

Joining Ann on the blog these next two weeks is Dan Wells, author of the John Wayne Cleaver trilogy.  The latest in the trilogy, I Don’t Want to Kill You, came out recently, but if you’re not familiar with the series, I recommend you go out and get I Am Not a Serial Killer and Mr. Monster immediately!  They’re filled with a fun blend of horror, supernatural thriller, and Dexter.  I’ve been devouring (not literally) these books since the first in the series debuted!

Readers, please help me thank our previous guests for their blog contributions and help me welcome Ann and Dan to the blog!

Today’s secret word is “bittersweet.”  Feel free to scream real loud when you hear it.

Why? 

Because I have a bitter taste in my mouth with this being Sam and Ari’s last day, but a sweet taste because they left us with some great posts.

Because I have a bitter feeling when I say goodbye, but a sweet feeling when I say hello (especially when you hear who’s up next!).

In the interest of making this as painless as possible, Sam, Ari, I think we had a great run, but I think we should just be friends.  That doesn’t mean we won’t still hang out.  In fact, I’d love to hang out again.  In the meantime, please use the rest of the day to plug your old books, new books, future books, blogs, twitter accounts, genre for Japan, etc.

All kidding aside, thank you both for a great two weeks!  We can’t wait to have you back soon!

So, that wasn’t so bitter I guess, right?  If it was, here’s some sweet to wash away the bitterness.

Up next on the blog are two newcomers to the sci-fi and fantasy genres….pause for comedic effect….  

Up first, is the man behind the Dresden Files.  The one.  The only.  Jim Butcher!

Jim is currently hard at work on Harry Dresden’s latest case - Ghost Story - but has decided to spend some time with us on the blog, and for that we thank him!  Ghost Story is slated for a July release, but to tide you over until then, Changes has recently released in mass market paperback!

Feel free to pre-order Ghost Story (currently on sale for 47% off at www.borders.com) now!

Joining Jim, is the newly crowned #1 New York Times Bestselling author Patrick Rothfuss!  Fresh off a tour promoting his new novel The Wise Man’s Fear, Pat has agreed to keep on trucking and promote the book here as well!  You can pick up his new book - here (it’s on sale too)!

Rumor has it, friend to Babel Clash, Anton Strout, will also be peering in from time to time to stir the pot a bit.

Readers, please join me in thanking Sam and Ari again.  They did a great job these past two weeks.  They’ll definitely be a hard act to follow, but if anyone can do it, it’s Jim and Pat (and Anton).

Batman IS NOT magic.  Batman IS fantasy, however.

Lee & I seem to be working with two very different definitions of magic.  In Lee’s definition, magic is synonymous with fantasy and the words can be used interchangeably.  This definition leads inexorably to the conclusion that Batman is magic because a) superheroes are magic and b) Batman is a superhero, therefore c) Batman is magic.  But, in my humble opinion, it is a sweeping generalisation to assume that all superheroes are magic.

In my definition, magic is a subset of fantasy.  To use the language of deductive reasoning, all magic is fantasy, but not all fantasy is magic.  I’m not disputing the fact that Batman is fantastic.  Batman is wicked fantastic.  Some of the stuff he can do is pretty darn unlikely.  But the fact remains that it is unlikely, not impossible.  Yes, it is very, very unlikely that one person could be the best at everything - detecting, disguising, super-sciencing, athleticism, you name it - but it is not impossible.  Yes, it would be bizarre for “real” people to run around dressed like bats, but it is not impossible.  Yes, it is unusual for real people to keep a Rogues’ Gallery, but Allan Pinkerton did and he was a real dude.  If it’s at all possible, no matter what the odds are against or how unlikely or remote, in my definition, it is fantasy not magic. 

Magic is the impossible.  It’s controlling wind (like Shannon Hale’s Goose Girl and Patrick Rothfuss’ Name of the Wind), it’s the ability to fly/levitate (like Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn), it’s shooting bolts of fire (like Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files).  It’s the stuff that us mere mortals constrained by the laws of physics just couldn’t possibly do.

In conclusion, I would like to offer this Venn diagram as irrefutable proof that Batman, while he is fantasy, is most decidedly not magic.

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!

If you’re in San Diego for Comic Con, please join Patrick Rothfuss, Rob Thurman, Thomas Sniegoski, Amber Benson, Seanan McGuire, Jeanne Stein & Kat Richardson for friendly debate and then a signing tonight (Saturday, July 25). The event takes place at 8:00 in the Borders store on 668 6th Ave, in the Gaslamp District.

I’ve heard a ton of buzz around Avatar, Scott Pilgrim and Kick-Ass movies coming out of the show. The Twilight manga is getting plenty of attention, and there is the giant obligatory presence for New Moon and True Blood & Charlaine Harris.

I’ll now return you to your originally scheduled programming. Brent & Joe, back to you…

I’m confirming our very first live Babel Clash debate, scheduled to coincide with the San Diego Comic Con festivities.   The event will feature a panel discussion and then a book signing.

When:  Saturday July 25 @ 8:00

Place:  Borders @ 668 6th Avenue in San Diego, in the Gaslamp District and only a very short walk away from the convention hall.

Guests:  Patrick Rothfuss, Rob Thurman, Thomas Sniegoski, Amber Benson, Seanan McGuire, Jeanne Stein and Kat Richardson.

We here at Babel Clash and Borders are very excited for this event.  Please come and enjoy the show, and spread the word.  We’re honored to have so many talented guests, and we want to deliver a great turnout for them.