Happy New Year and Things

Hello, readers, welcome to the future. It's 2009. Only one year left until we're in a whole new decade. I celebrated last night with music, free champagne, and occasional dancing. Other things happened on New Year's though, besides my kickin about, two things in fact. Two things and no more.

Thing One: Terry Pratchett, author of Discworld and proponent of mildly homicidal luggage which doubles as a bodyguard for its carrier, must now and forevermore be referred to as Sir Terry Pratchett. Apparently, the Queen is the kind of frood that really knows where her towel is, if you know what I mean.*

Thing Two: io9 published their list of the best science fiction novels of 2008. Making the cut, among others, include Anathem by Neal Stephenson, Sly Mongoose by Tobias S. Buckell, and Liberation: Being the Adventures of the Slick Six After the Collapse of the United States of America by Brian Francis Slattery. Also here you'll find brief interviews with some of the authors, including Ekaterina Sedia, author of Alchemy of Stone, who talks of the "myth of superpowered machines," as well as her next book, which tells the story of a girl and her salamander.

Thing Three: People lie. Trust suffers.


ttfn.


*In case you don't.