tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8573136768377847579.post1246403229537741374..comments2023-12-28T17:51:10.368-06:00Comments on Spiral Galaxy Musings: July/August AnalogKaren Burnhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16803309172414793939noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8573136768377847579.post-13390550172074035542008-09-18T17:21:00.000-05:002008-09-18T17:21:00.000-05:00I agree, the voice is quite distinctive and obviou...I agree, the voice is quite distinctive and obviously exactly what the author was going for. It just didn't work for me.<BR/><BR/>It must be very challenging, continuing a series like that. Balancing "not boring the folks who read the originals" and "not confusing the folks who haven't" must be darn hard. Still, it's a good problem to have if you've already had a successful story sequence published, eh?Karen Burnhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16803309172414793939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8573136768377847579.post-7081087958730198142008-09-18T14:24:00.000-05:002008-09-18T14:24:00.000-05:00Your comment on juveniles and spunky/plucky is spo...Your comment on juveniles and spunky/plucky is spot on, I suspect. I didn't read the original, though it may have been quite charming in its time. But tastes do change. And a style of speak that was "hip" then would sound wrong now, for the most part. <BR/><BR/>I must admit, while I read the opening page to compare it to the letter printed in Nov., it was not to my taste, though I thought the voice had been done with skill, a very strong voice. I'm a deep and slow reader, so obviously skimming was not an issue for me. I "hear" every word, which makes me outrageously slow. I just didn't find the subject immediately interesting, couldn't quickly find the heart of the story. My fault, probably. Or lack of familiarity with the original character. <BR/><BR/>So I was sort of in your boat, but thought it fair to point you to the letter and his response. <BR/><BR/>And do as you please with my story! It's out there. Stan bought it. I'm not going to look daggers at you if you don't like it. Hey, I'll just be thrilled if you read the entire thing. <BR/><BR/>OzAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8573136768377847579.post-71088967323505056542008-09-18T10:52:00.000-05:002008-09-18T10:52:00.000-05:00Oz- Thanks for the heads-up. I wasn't aware of the...Oz- Thanks for the heads-up. I wasn't aware of the previous books; now the <I>in media res</I> beginning makes a bit more sense - it may be aimed at folks who already know the backstory.<BR/><BR/>I read Palmer's response; I hope my criticism was at least a little less rude than that printed in the Nov. issue. However, I'm not sure I can buy that the story "goes over my head" because I'm a "skimming"-style reader. I don't think I am. I will cop to having an antipathy to YA narrators, though--it's not a style that generally works well for me. <BR/><BR/>Palmer points out that the previous Candy books got tons of awards 25 years ago, and were appreciated by folks like Heinlein. That makes sense--the whole Spunky/Plucky thing reminded me of a Heinlein juvenille. However, I wonder how well that style has aged in 25 years--will it get as many awards this time around? Time will tell. The new YA anthology from Jonathan Strahan, <I>The Starry Rift</I> (which I reviewed for <A HREF="http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/2008/04/the_starry_rift.shtml" REL="nofollow">Strange Horizons</A>) mostly had moved away from that style. <BR/><BR/>I'm looking forward to your story as I ever so slowly inch my way through my magazine backlog!Karen Burnhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16803309172414793939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8573136768377847579.post-7284677117002240482008-09-18T07:05:00.000-05:002008-09-18T07:05:00.000-05:00Palmer won an award with the original novel, same ...Palmer won an award with the original novel, same protagonist, 25 years ago. Tastes change, no doubt. It's not a skimming story, that's for sure. But there's a great deal of skill involved in getting that voice right. <BR/><BR/>Can't wait until you rip my story to shreds or dismiss it completely in the November issue! <BR/><BR/>November issue also has a VERY long letter from Palmer to a reader who wrote an opinion essentially equivalent to yours. <BR/><BR/>OzAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com