Speaking of 姜峯楠 . . .

Haven't finished reading "Story of Your Life" (the short story the movie Arrival is based on), but I looked for the book Stories of Your Life on Amazon and had quite a surprise:

$249.99 + $3.99 shipping + $0.00 estimated tax

Used - Good

Good to fair condition. EX-LIBRARY copy. Has standard library stickers, markings and moderate wear from library circulation. Binding still holding all together well. Cover has shelfwear. We ship daily. *Contact us for International Shipping Quote*

So I'm reading a $250 library book. And there were copies going for more, too. (And, admittedly, a few for less . . . but (1) they were still very expensive in hardback and (2) I was looking specifically for an ex-library version.

Yowza.

姜峯楠

From the first time I saw the trailer for Arrival I wanted to see it. Something about that funky looking alien space ship appealed to me . . .

Maybe just because it was different, you know? You get tired of that same old shit. 

But I was so interested that I decided to see if the script was based on a science fiction novel, and a little Googling revealed that it was actually based on a short story entitled "Story of Your Life" by  姜峯楠 / Chiang Feng-nan / Ted Chiang.

ANYway, I just got his book, Stories of Your Life and Others (2002) from the library and will begin reading it as soon as my Fatherly Duties for the Day are concluded. A few surprising things before I get back to those FDftD, though:

1. I said "his book" because so far he only has one book. Which was published fourteen years ago. 

2. And he's been publishing stories for 26 years.

3. He's only published fifteen short stories. I think this puts him in a tie with J. D. Salinger for prolificity.

4. Eight of his stories . . . as in over half of his oeuvre . . . appear in his book. 

5. Ten of his stories are available online. (And there are links on his Wikipedia page if you want to check that out.) 

Here is the table of contents for Stories of Your Life and Others:

1. "Tower of Babylon"

2. "Division by Zero" 

3. "Understand" 

4. "Story of Your Life"

5. "The Evolution of Human Science" (a.k.a. "Catching Crumbs from the Table") 

6. "Seventy-Two Letters" 

7. "Hell Is the Absence of God"

8. "Liking What You See: A Documentary"

And here are the other seven stories         姜峯楠 has published to date:

9. "What's Expected of Us"

10. "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate"

11. "Exhalation"

12. "The Lifecycle of Software Objects"

13. "Dacey's Patent Automatic Nanny" in The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities edited by Jeff VanderMeer and Ann VanderMeer

14. "The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling"

15. "The Great Silence"

6. I actually own the book The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities. Bought it because it has an Alan Moore story in it.

7. Which means that between the library book, the internet posted stories, and my bookshelf, I have the complete works of  姜峯楠 in my possession.

More news as it happens.

You AIM too, please.

Breaking News: Kamandi Returns!

Stopped by The Great Escape today to pick up my comic books and when I looked at the cover of Previews I was astonished, delighted, and amazed to see a picture of Kamandi on the cover of the new Previews.

And not only is Kamandi returning to the DC line-up, he's returning in a 12 issue series brought to us by

Issue #1 by Dan Abnett/Dale Eaglesham

Issue #2 by Peter J. Tomasi/Neal Adams

Issue #3 by Jimmy Palmiotti/Amanda Conner

Issue #4 by James Tynion/Carlos D’Anda

Issue #5 by Bill Willingham/Ivan Reis

Issue #6 by Steve Orlando/Philip Tan

Issue #7 by Marguerite Bennett/Dan Jurgens

Issue #8 by Keith Giffen/Steve Rude

Issue #9 by Tom King/Kevin Eastman

Issue #10 by Greg Pak/Joe Prado

Issue #11 by Rob Williams/Walter Simonson

Issue #12 by Gail Simone/Ryan Sook

Holy shit, Batman! You had me at the Bruce Timm cover. (Though I do wish that Mr. Timm was going to do a full issue's worth of art on this project. And I'll bet he wishes that, too, as he long ago expressed his love for Kamandi.) 

Needless to add, I am more than a mite excited about this. Kamandi was the first comic book I collected from the first to the last issue--and this was back in the days long before comic shops, when it was not so easy to find every issue of your favorite book. I've also faithfully hunted down every Kamandi Connection I got wind of, from the obvious (Kamandi at Earth's End, for instance) to the obscure (the Nightwing story arc which was partially set in the underground Command D). I even watched those godawful episodes of The Brave and the Bold when they put Kamandi into the storyline. And bought both of the Kamandi Archives. And, yes, both of the Kamandi Omnibus volumes as well. I will even buy The Kamandi Challenge Special #1, which is just a reprint of Kamandi #32 from 1975 (which I still have, of course). 

Because it's love, brothers and sisters.

I love Kamandi.

Not in a gay way.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

More Songs About Сталинградская битва and питание.

Having watched a movie and a documentary, I thought that I was qualified to begin reading To the Gates of Stalingrad: Soviet-German Combat Operations, April-August 1942 by David Glantz and Jonathan M. House. I was hoping to dispel the impression that I'd gained from said movie and documentary: that the Russians had the upper hand vis-à-vis the battle. But the first few pages of the book actually seemed to reinforce that impression. Hmpf.

I don't know why it's important to me that the Russians be the underdogs here. It's not like I have any great love for them. I suppose it's just the idea that the weaker defenders can turn away the stronger aggressors. Come to think of it, isn't that the theme for just about every great story ever told?

I also quickly discovered that Misters Gantz and House have written a book that I may be incapable of reading. It is interesting, for sure, but (I'm sorry to say) I don't have a lot of patience with non-fiction. 

And having said that, I am now ashamed and have decided to have another go at the book. I hereby resolve that I shall not allow myself to quit until I have read at least one hundred pages of To the Gates of Stalingrad.  

I also found a hopeful sign (with respect to my desired perception of the battle) in Wikipedia: 

Writing in his diary on 1 January 1943, British General Alan Brooke, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, reflected on the change in the position from a year before:

I felt Russia could never hold, Caucasus was bound to be penetrated, and Abadan (our Achilles heel) would be captured with the consequent collapse of Middle East, India, etc. After Russia's defeat how were we to handle the German land and air forces liberated? England would be again bombarded, threat of invasion revived... And now! We start 1943 under conditions I would never have dared to hope. Russia has held, Egypt for the present is safe. There is a hope of clearing North Africa of Germans in the near future... Russia is scoring wonderful successes in Southern Russia.

In fact,  this ups the ante considerably with the implication that without the Russian victory at Stalingrad, World War II might have gone sideways on the Allies. 

In my brief first foray into At the Gates of Stalingrad, I was surprised to read that Finland was in league with Nazi Germany. (Something I probably would have already known if I'd paid more attention in history class, I suppose.) As a person who routinely thinks of Sweden, Norway, and Finland as one big, cold, very morally progressive nation, I was disappointed. It also made me wonder what other nations were allied with the Axis powers that I didn't know about, so I again consulted the Wiccans. There were several more surprises for me. (HERE if you can also be surprised about this.) As a devotee of László Krasznahorkai, I was particularly upset about Hungary being one of them. The blow was softened a mite by learning that the countries affiliated with the Axis powers were divided into four different categories, and that one of these was known as the "Co-belligerent States." That is most awesome, don't you think?

Anyway . . . more Stalingrad news as it happens.