Monthly Archives: June 2013

Hugo thoughts: Best editor (short fiction)

Posted on June 28, 2013 by CD Covington

I looked at the calendar and realized I’m not going to get through all the things before the end of July, so I’m going to make a couple Friday Hugo-related posts.John Joseph Adams. Adams is a prolific anthologist, as well as the editor of Lightspeed Ma… Continue reading →

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Anime you should watch: Broken Blade

Posted on June 26, 2013 by CD Covington

Broken Blade, manga by Yunosuke Yoshinaga, anime directed by Tetsuro Amino, produced by Production I.G and Xebec.Rygart Arrow is an un-sorcerer: unable to move quartz even the smallest amount, unlike everyone else on the continent of Cruzon. This makes… Continue reading →

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The 2 Hugo novels I’d already read and one I may not

Posted on June 24, 2013 by CD Covington

After Deadline was nominated last year, I had to read the rest of the series. I had to find out what happened. So I’ve already read Blackout. I didn’t review it at the time, but I thought it was a very interesting, compelling story, with parallels to t… Continue reading →

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Friday miscellany

Posted on June 21, 2013 by CD Covington

There isn’t a whole lot going on right now. I’m reading stuff for the Hugos still. I have until July 31 to cast my ballot.I’m working on the exam for the second module (of eight) of Basics and Concepts of Teaching German as a Foreign Language (Grundlag… Continue reading →

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Anime you should watch: Irresponsible Captain Tylor

Posted on June 19, 2013 by CD Covington

Irresponsible Captain Tylor, Kouichi Mashimo/Tatsunoko Production, 1993.Justy Ueki Tylor is assigned to the Soyokaze, an aging spaceship of the United Planets Space Force. He’s the type of person who somehow manages to stumble along despite being compl… Continue reading →

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2013 Hugo Novellas

Posted on June 17, 2013 by CD Covington

Aliette deBodard, “On a Red Station, Drifting”: This is set in the same universe as “Immersion,” on the short story ballot. In this tale, a refugee from a war-torn planet arrives on a space station where her distant cousins are administrators. Her cous… Continue reading →

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Friday miscellany

Posted on June 14, 2013 by CD Covington

I’ve made a list of the anime I want to recommend, both from looking at my shelves and asking Ben what good recent shows I’ve missed. At one post a week, it’ll last me into next year. And that doesn’t include occasional posts on things that are current… Continue reading →

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Anime you should watch: Rideback

Posted on June 12, 2013 by CD Covington

Rideback, manga by Tetsurou Kasahara (2003-09), anime adaptation (2009) by Atsushi Takahashi (dir), Hideo Takayashiki & Ken Iizuka (writers) (Madhouse)

In the not-so-distant future, the Global Government Plan has taken over the world, creating a military dictatorship. Rin Ogata’s mother was a famous ballerina, and Rin was on the path to becoming a famous ballerina herself until she severely injured her foot during a performance. When she gets to college, she discovers the Rideback club, a group of hobbyists who ride transforming motorcycles, and she gets to dance again.

(Screencap from nyaatorrents.org)

Rin takes quickly to Fuego, the Rideback she’s assigned in the club, and she competes in the obligatory race. (The manga ran in a seinen (teenaged boys) magazine.) The plot thickens when the BMA, an anti-GGP organization, begins staging protests, and Rin’s younger brother gets involved.

Unfortunately, the anime adaptation was only 12 episodes long. When it ends, the broader hints of a dystopian setting are only starting to become visible. With the current state of the manga industry in the US, odds that we’ll see the 10 volumes released in English are very low.

US-based readers can watch it free at Funimation.
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2013 Hugo Novelettes

Posted on June 10, 2013 by CD Covington

Pat Cadigan, “The Girl-Thing Who Went Out for Sushi”: This tells the story of workers in space who have opted (or, in some cases, been forced) to adopt the shape of sea life. The piece starts with a lot of slang, and while the reader eventually underst… Continue reading →

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Adventures in public transit: my football weekend in DC

Posted on June 7, 2013 by CD Covington

I went to the Durham Amtrak station and waited for my train. I saw an old acquaintance in the lobby with two of his friends, who were going up to DC for one of their bachelor party, so we sat together. I didn’t get much of the reading I’d intended done… Continue reading →

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