Question

[james_davis_nicoll]

Which SF authors have said they are planning to write something upbeat in the next year or so?

Comments

[seawasp]

Do I have to raise my hand, or did you assume my presence? :)

[james-nicoll.livejournal.com]

I overlooked you because when this subject comes up you saying you are currently writing upbeat SF, as opposed to it being a change of pace for you.

[seawasp]

Oh, okay; you're looking for people who are making a point of changing their ways and possibly joining your Nightmarish Future movement.

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

As Tolkien reminds us, upbeat tends to be boring and needs few words in the telling . . .

[fridgepunk.livejournal.com]

Alastair Reynolds and Ken MacLeod pinky swore to Stross that they would write something upbeat this year (which obviously means that those books will be failing to win any of the 2012's Hugo awards, rather than any of the 2011's Hugos).

Warren Ellis tends to produce one upbeat thing and 5 OMGcthulhuatethedog stories per year regardless.

Does Glenn Beck have any new stories coming out this year?

[autopope.livejournal.com]

Not me!

(Current work-in-progress is a Laundry novel, so full of DOOOOM. Next novel is a snarky colaboration with Cory Doctorow; not sure if it's upbeat or not, given that horrible things happen to the protagonist. The novel after that is going to be full of DOOOOM, not to mention space operatic levels of violence moderated only by a mundane SF setting. So the upbeat novel will have to wait until 2013. But it is under contract ...)

[james-nicoll.livejournal.com]

I've heard unverified rumors that Karl Schroeder is planning something upbeat. Which given that he's Canadian and e.g. how CBC radio plays tend to end (after 45 minutes of domestic turmoil and heart break, the lead spontaneously bursts into flame to indicate the end of the play) might run into questions of definitions of optimistic.

[jeriendhal.livejournal.com]

Raises hand. WIth the qualifier that it's more of a "Novel in my drawer on my hard drive that I really want to get back to."

[scentofviolets.livejournal.com]

Waitaminute. Why is a future where all humans die or enslaved not upbeat? Bender says otherwise.

And I still want my flying car, dammit.

[http://users.livejournal.com/krin_o_o_/]

Well, "upbeat" is such a relative term.

[elfs.livejournal.com]

How about something Chestersonian? As in, "The Future will be just like the present, no more or less crapsack than it is now?"

[elfs.livejournal.com]

Someone doesn't listen to The Vinyl Cafe. It's like Lake Woebegon on Valium.

[maruad.livejournal.com]

I just read Atrocity Archives and enjoyed it. I look forward to reading more in the series.

[heron61.livejournal.com]

That's very good news about Ken MacLeod, I avoided his pair of terrorism future novels, and would love to see something else upbeat by him. As for Reynolds, his books have actually been getting more upbeat for a while, which is IMHO an excellent thing indeed.

[rwpikul.livejournal.com]

Unless a turkey is involved.

[mindstalk.livejournal.com]

Could Peter Watts write something upbeat if he tried, or would it be like Shortpacked, Frank Miller, and the whores?

[seawasp]

D
Do
Doo
Doomdoomdoomdoomdoomdoomdoomdoomdoomdooooooomdoomdoomdooooom

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

If you liked The Atrocity Archives you'll love The Jennifer Morgue and you'll WORSHIP The Fuller Memorandum!

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

What does Cowboy Frank Miller ride?

HORSE HORSE HORSE

[maruad.livejournal.com]

I will keep them in mind. I still have 3 more books, by authors I have not read, in my to read pile plus I want to pick up John Ralston Saul's "Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine and Robert Baldwin". After I get those out of the way I strongly suspect I will go look for the books you have mentioned.

[scalzi.livejournal.com]

I have something upbeat coming out this year AND I'm currently writing something upbeat.

SO THERE Y'ALL

[http://users.livejournal.com/krin_o_o_/]

Wait... I'm seeing a lot going up in this list...

Is this going to be "2011: The Year of the Upbeat"?

[dbdatvic.livejournal.com]

What does the Frank Miller Orchestra play?

HORNS HORNS HORNS

--Dave "and no-one can talk to the whores, of course, unless, of course, the whores should be the famous Mrs. Ed!" DeLaney

[death4breakfast.livejournal.com]

I seem to remember the last couple of Karl Schroeder novels being relatively upbeat...at least in terms of the good guys winning, evil no prospering and the protagonist coming out of it a better person.

Regardless, I'll be buying it, whatever it is.

[death4breakfast.livejournal.com]

Yeah...but I've never really read the Laundry novels as being the same sort of doom that's so annoying in other people's work. If there's doom, it's a much more entertaining and upbeat sort of doom. :)

[caper-est.livejournal.com]

Business purely as usual is boring and needs few words, because both we and the characters know how that goes. The Earthly Paradise is boring and soon told of, because it is tidy-minded and full of Sims, and did I mention I don't want any colour pony anyway?

But upbeat is not boring. Upbeat is just harder. I can turn this world into a crapsack as easily as calling up Cthulhu*. Turning it into a party from which nobody wants to go home requires much more subtlety and verve, that's all. A mighty big 'all', I admit.

* And he will come, when I do so call!

[cyprinella]

A+.

[mmcirvin.livejournal.com]

I need to start writing some doom now so I can be at the head of the backlash.

[maruad.livejournal.com]

I discovered Ian Fleming by age 12 and had read everything he wrote by the end of the 9th grade as well as some things he hadn't written so of course I loved JM when I read it 2 days ago. I haven't seen the Fuller Memorandum yet but I still have about half a dozen books to read now so it will have to wait.