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andrewduckerOn the one hand, I actively think that Burnham would do a pretty good job.
On the other hand it would be hilarious if he lost the by-election.
On the third hand, I'm pretty sure that no matter what happens Labour will find a way to sabotage themselves.
(To be clear, I'd rather that they didn't, and would rather like them to just be competent and decent, if they can work out how to do that.)
andrewducker
tamaranth
Media featuring extra-terrestrial intelligence (‘subversions of the supremacy of man’) had been banned Empire-wide for several generations. Even the word ‘alien’ made Uwade flinch with taboo. [p. 37]
It's the 29th century. Humanity has spread across the galaxy. The Empire -- and its 500-year-old Emperor -- governs many planets, quite a few of which are gutted for their resources before being abandoned, their populace sent to mine the next resource-rich world.
But there is still luxury: the Grand Abeona Hotel (really more of an interstellar cruise liner) travels its leisurely circuit, offering an 'analogue paradise' that is screen-free, along with the luxuries and services of a lost golden age. ( Read more... )
tamaranth
tamaranth
"Humans have always needed people like me—as long as we’ve needed monsters.”
... “Do people need monsters?”
“A person can’t fight a plague, but they can fight the beast that cursed them with it. If not vampire or varkolak, it’s the Devil, or it’s witches. My way doesn’t end in witch burnings.” [loc. 1308]
Anka was orphaned on the night she was born: a house fire, a mother giving birth on bare earth lit by flames. The people of Koprivci, a small town in Bulgaria, believe Anka is the reason for the streak of stillbirths and fevers that has claimed nearly all of the children born in the last sixteen years.
( Read more... )
andrewduckertamaranth
She stared at him, her gaze a kind of cage, throwing down bars to the lawn to keep him trapped. One moment of inattention, and he would be free. [p. 7]
Mary, who lives in East London, has recently split up with her abusive fiancé Mark: she's kept the house, and has a comfortable life with little excitement or social contact. Her next-door neighbours, Michelle and Eric, have a new baby named Flora, to whom Mary is drawn. But she's also fascinated by the dog fox who frequents her garden.
( Read more... )
andrewduckerandrewduckershewhomustandrewducker
I haven't been quite this close to a moving train before.
Original
is here on Pixelfed.scot.
andrewduckermrissaHello, friends. I've got something to show you
It's a book cover! In fact it is my book cover! Because...you can preorder my novella, A Dubious Clamor, directly from the publisher or from an assortment of bookstores of your choice! In ebook or hardcover editions! Isn't it pretty? Isn't it appropriate for the book?
Okay, so you can't know whether it's appropriate for the book yet. But you can trust Naomi Kritzer, friend and multi-award winner, who describes this book as, "No war but class war; also, harpies!" (She also says it's "delightful, unique, and frequently hilarious," in case you were wondering.) Some other awesome people describe it as things too! Wonderful people like authors Ruthanna Emrys and Davinia Evans and critic Paul Weimer! Do you want to know what those things are? You can see them on the pre-order page!
But wait! there's more. (You did the right voice in your head for that, right?) If you preorder, you can not only get this lovely novella (ooooh! aaaaah!), you can also get a really cool sticker of a skeptical sword! You can put this on your laptop, phone, water bottle, small child, or other sticker-bearing device! Be the envy of your friends and neighbors, or at least those of your friends and neighbors who are cool enough to like sword stickers. (As for the other kind, who cares what they think? You are a discerning individual who knows the value of sword stickers, and that's what matters.)
Don't go yet! There's still more. Sadly we currently live in the timeline that has class war but no harpies. (I have improved on this in the novella! Which you can read on September 15 if you preorder it now!) But do you know what our timeline does have? It has harpy eagles. Harpy eagles are so cool. And the lovely people at the World Wildlife Fund allow you to donate to support their habitat. Every person who preorders will be entered into a drawing (subject to sweepstakes laws in your jurisdiction) to win a harpy eagle plushie that also supports harpy eagles in real life! For each hundred pre-orders, we will add another harpy eagle plushie (and its attendant habitat support) to the drawing, so your odds of winning an awesome harpy eagle plushie to be your new cuddly pal and mascot will never be less than 1 in 100. Or you can pass it on to be the cuddly pal and mascot of someone else you know, that part is up to you. Similarly you can also preorder copies of the novella and not read them, if for some reason you're opposed to opinionated weaponry, fictional operetta, and cake in your reading life. I will warn you, there is much cake.
So here it is! Pre-order today! or also other days, that's fine too!
andrewduckershewhomusttamaranth
[the] Imperial passengers... set off knowing they were flying the flag that held sovereignty over much of the territory through which they would pass. That, I thought, must have been immensely reassuring. All I had were a lot of last-minute worries, a closely typed seven-page itinerary and a booklet of tickets which, my exhausted travel agent said, was probably the largest ever issued on British Airways coupons. [p.40]
Frater, who was deputy editor and travel editor for the Observer, took a break from journalism to attempt a recreation of the Imperial Airways 'Eastbound Empire' service, inaugurated in 1936, which took nine days and stopped at 35 airports en route.
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andrewducker - On the impending arrival of The King In The Northandrewducker - Interesting Links for 14-05-2026tamaranth - 2026/069: Floating Hotel — Grace Curtistamaranth - Monthly culture, April 2026tamaranth - 2026/068: She Made Herself a Monster — Anna Kovatchevkaandrewducker - Interesting Links for 12-05-2026andrewducker - Interesting Links for 11-05-2026tamaranth - 2026/067: How to be Human — Paula Cocozzaandrewducker - Interesting Links for 10-05-2026andrewducker - Interesting Links for 09-05-2026shewhomust - Centenariesandrewducker - Interesting Links for 08-05-2026andrewducker - Photo cross-postandrewducker - Interesting Links for 07-05-2026mrissa - I think that about covers itandrewducker - Life with no children: Art And Tidinessandrewducker - Interesting Links for 06-05-2026andrewducker - Photo cross-postshewhomust - Obituariestamaranth - 2026/066: Beyond the Blue Horizon — Alexander Fratertimeasmymeasure