Author Spotlight: Warren Ellis

For the last year of so, British graphic-novelist Warren Ellis has been penning a weekly web comic. Free online at www.freakangels.com, the story is both a compelling read and a great introduction to his style. Many of his stories, including FreakAngels have involved at least one of three elements, as follows:

1) Science Fiction.

Transmetropolitan is a short series that takes ‘gonzo’ journalism (see Hunter S. Thompson) and sets it in a cyberpunk dystopia. Ultimate Galactus marks a significant turning point in Ultimate Marvel Comics; the world’s super-heroes unite to defeat a planet-devouring threat. In the first season of the animated Justice League Unlimited, he penned the epic episode ‘Dark Heart', which focused on nanotechnology gone awry. His sci-fi is aggressive, both in story and visuals, and tends to involve difficult moral questions.

2) Britannia.

Ellis, like his peers Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman, typically sets his tales in Britain or America, but it’s the stories in the UK where he really shines. FreakAngels takes place a few years after a world disaster, in a ravaged and semi-savage London. Opposite to that dark future, Ministry of Space shows a world where England won the space race over Russia and America, and became a dominant world power.

3) Super-heroes.

Having cut his teeth on Marvel and DC stories, he went on to scribe such series as Planetary, the Authority, NextWave: Agents of H.A.T.E., and Black Summer. Each deals with the super-hero milieu in a different tone, either mocking or questioning. In Planetary, key figures from both Marvel and DC are subtly parodied against the backdrop of super-hero conspiracy. Authority is a more typical genre story, much more serious and decompressed. Next Wave is simply ridiculous, full of high action and over-the-top satire. Black Summer, however, is bleak and uncompromisingly gory.

Like many modern graphic-novelists, Warren Ellis shows a clear understanding of his genre and explores it with gusto. His work can be recommended to fans of sci-fi, super-heroes, and action-adventure, and definitely for a mature reader.

-post written by Eric Drew

The Visitors Have Arrived

If you're a fashion conscious type, you already know the the 80s are big again. So it shouldn't be too surprising to find that TV is digging back to the 80s to find some stylistic inspiration. Tuesday November 3, was the launch of ABC's much hyped new version of the classic 80s alien invasion program V (short for Visitors).

The premise of the show - the original and the new series - is as follows: aliens arrive on earth, claim they come in peace, people don't really believe them, drama &/or chaos ensue. Pretty straightforward. The alien - human encounter story is one that has been popular for decades.

One of the classics of the genre is Arthur C. Clarke's Childhood's End, where aliens arrive on Earth and offer humanity a world of peace and prosperity but refuse to allow themselves to be seen. The opening of the book features giant space ships over major cities around the world, as the TV show V has also used.

Another classic vision of human-alien encounters can be found in H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds. In that book - originally written in 1898 - the world is invaded by Martians, who with their advanced technology, attacked and attempt to enslave the world.

Check the library catalogue under the subject "human-alien encounters -- fiction" to find even more stories of how authors envision the out come of alien arrivals on earth. You'll find titles from Robert Sawyer (who's novel Flash Forward has recently been adapted to a non-alien focused Sci Fi TV series), And Another Thing, the new Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy novel from author Eion Colfer and even a book called Gifts from Eykis from popular self-help author Wayne Dyer. Plus a tonne of books from big names in Science Fiction writing.

Or, if you want to stay close to the theme of this post, you maybe interested in V: The Second Generation a novel by Kenneth Johnson that was released in 2007 in anticipation of this new TV series.

One final note of interest, according to Wikipedia, the original V series was inspired by the 1935 Sinclair Lewis novel It Can't Happen Here - which isn't a novel about aliens, but rather one imagining what would happen if America was taken over by a dictator. In 1935, with Hitler in power in Germany, it was a powerful idea to present to the American reader. The modernization of the idea, saw the charismatic dictators coming from outer space to take over.

November means NaNoWriMo

What the heck is NaNoWriMo? A super cool event with a slightly crazy name, NaNoWriMo is the abbreviation for National Novel Writing Month. NaNoWriMo began in San Francisco in 1999 with 21 participants and has been growing steadily ever since (around 90 000 this year). The idea is that over the course of the month of November participants aim to write - from scratch - a 50 000 word novel. Here's how they describe themselves on their website:

National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.

Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.

Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It's all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.

So, if you've ever thought of trying to write a book - this is a great time to dive in. The NaNoWriMo organization offers advice, pep talks, a collective word count and forums to chat with other participants.

This year, Halifax Public Libraries is hoping you'll join us too with your novel writing plans. On Wednesdays in November, the Alderney Gate Branch in Dartmouth is inviting NaNoWriMo participants to come to the library, curl up in a chair or at a desk and use the library space as an inspiring location for writing. You can meet other NaNoWriMo participants or take a look at our writing resources for information. For more info on the Alderney Gate meetups, call 490-5745.

If you're more of a reader than a writer, or you're a writer looking for a little more inspiration, the library offers a lot of titles that might interest you.

Under the subject of "authorship" in the library catalogue there are more than a hundred titles offering advice and personal stories. Stephen King offers his insights on his wildly successful career in On Writing: a memoir of the craft. American author Michael Chabon - who has gained popularity and critical acclaim with his genre based fiction - recently released Maps and Legends: reading and writing along the borderlands, where he "energetically argues for a return to the thrilling, chilling origins of storytelling".

Finally, if you want to know where authors have gained their inspiration there's The book that changed my life : 71 remarkable writers celebrate the books that matter most to them.

Happy reading. And happy writing!!

Book Launch - Rum Running, by Allison Lawlor

The Keshen Goodman Public Library is pleased to be the hosts for the book launch of Allison Lawlor's latest work, Rum-Running.

Please join us as we celebrate Allison's new book and as we get to hear her read first hand.

The launch takes place Monday, November 9th at 7:00p.m. All are Welcome.

Here is the publisher's description:

"The first book in the Stories of Our Past series, Rum-Running is an intriguing look at one of the most fascinating aspects of Atlantic Canada’s past. Journalist and author Allison Lawlor chronicles the history of this furtive trade and recounts the exploits and escapades of the East Coast’s most infamous liquor smugglers.

Complete with enthralling first-person accounts, fact-filled sidebars, and over 60 photos, and written in an easy-to-read, accessible style, Rum-Running is the rollicking story of one of the most captivating—and controversial—chapters of Canadian history.

Allison Lawlor is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in the Globe and Mail, and Homemakers, Canadian Living, and University Affairs magazines. After graduating from Ryerson University she worked as a reporter for several daily newspapers in Ontario before moving to Nova Scotia in 2003. Her first book, 250 Years of Progress: Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency, was published by Nimbus in 2005. Allison lives in Prospect, Nova Scotia, with her husband and two daughters."

New Books You Might Have Missed - International Fiction

I've been writing these new books you might have missed posts for awhile now. The idea for me is that there are so many great books out there that don't necessarily get a lot of press coverage, that I like selecting a few to highlight. In my random selection of the interesting looking fiction coming across my desk in the last month or so, I was noticed a large percentage of them were from international authors, including a lot of books in translation. So, if you're looking for some new and exciting fiction, why not try one of these from beyond your borders.

Khaled Al Khamissi is an Egyptian author whose first book Taxi was published in Arabic in 2007. The English edition has recently been released. It's a collection of fictional monologues from Taxi drivers in the bustling city of Cairo and was a bestseller in Egypt.

Leaving Tangier is a new novel from Moroccan born Tahar Ben Jelloun that follows the tale of a brother and sister who leave Morocco for a new life in Spain. Although Arabic is Ben Jelloun's first language, he writes in French. He was awarded the prestigious Prix Goncourt in 1987 for the original French edition of the book translated as The Sacred Night and in 2004 he won the Dublin IMPAC award for the book This Blinding Absence of Light.

Another author who writes in French despite is not being his first language is Chinese/French author Dai Sijie. Once on a Moonless Night his third novel, is a story of love and language that revolves around a lost ancient scroll. Booklist called it a "dazzling and magical saga".

The most recent novel from Javier Calvo a young (born in 1973) up-and-coming author born in Barcelona is Wonderful World. Publisher's Weekly described the novel as "a frenetic and magnificent mashup of family drama, mob revenge story and surreal mystery".

And finally, Love, Anger, Madness by the late Marie Vieux-Chauvet. Translated from French and described by the publisher as a "stunning trilogy of novellas ... Love, Anger, Madness is a scathing response to the struggles of race, class, and sex that have ruled Haiti. Suppressed upon its initial publication in 1968, this major work became an underground classic and was finally released in an authorized edition in France in 2005."

Author Reading - Dorris Heffron

City Wolves, by Dorris Heffron, is a fictional account of the life of Meg Wilkinson, Canada's first female veterinarian.

This engaging tale takes Meg from her conservative life in Nova Scotia to the much faster paced, liberal environment of boomtown Dawson City, circa 1890. As Meg faces her many unexpected challenges, the reader gets to go along for the ride, experiencing the landscape (including Halifax) and enjoying the many quirky and compelling characters. The reader also gains insight into the complexity of the man/wolf relationship, possibly revealing as many similarities as differences.

Ms. Heffron will be reading at the Keshen Goodman Public Library, Wednesday November 4th, 2009. 7:00 p.m.

All are Welcome.

"Brimming with colourful characters, drama, humour, and rich historical detail, City Wolves is lively, insightful historical fiction that brilliantly reveals the wolf-like nature of humans and the human nature of wolves." publisher

November author birthdays - part 1

I'm still working with library school student Lara on several projects around the library. She was kind enough to contribute another guest post...

The season is changing, and most chilly evenings in November I'd just like to curl up with a good book. Consider this list of authors with November birthdays if you're looking for something new to read.

Joyce Maynard, a writer of psychological fiction, celebrates her birthday on November 5. Her most recent novel is Labor Day (2009), an intriguing coming of age story that takes place over a single weekend in New Hampshire. Maynard's 1992 novel, To Die For, was made into a movie starring Nicole Kidman, Matt Dillon and Joaquin Phoenix.

On November 6, Michael Cunningham, author of The Hours, turns one year older. The Hours is based on the life of Modernist writer Virginia Woolf, and won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1999. The book was also turned into a film starring Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore. Cunningham's most recent novel, Specimen Days (2005) is the first he has written since publishing The Hours, though he has been at work on other projects in the interim.

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. was born on November 11. His best known novel is probably his1969 work, Slaughterhouse-Five. I also enjoyed Sirens of Titan (1959), and most recently I read his 1997 novel, Timequake. With a quirky sense of humour and clear appreciation of the absurd, Vonnegut's writing career

spanned more than fifty years and he will surely be celebrated for years to come.

The author of Eragon, Eldest, and Brisingr, Christopher Paolini celebrates his birthday on November 17. I'm reading Brisingr right now, and look forward to Paolini's publication of the final work in the Inheritance cycle, though no one seems to know when the final chapter of Dragon Rider Eragon's adventure will be released.

Sometimes-controversial Canadian author Margaret Atwood has her birthday on November 18. Her most recent work, The Year of the Flood (2009) has lots of holds on it at HPL but more copies are on the way! Atwood won the Booker Prize in 2000 for The Blind Assassin, so if you can't get The Year of the Flood right away, that would be a great one to start with!

In addition to her library work, Lara blogs on a regular basis for Re:Print, a books blog at PopMatters.com, an international magazine of cultural criticism.