As part of my ongoing research into what’s new in the fantasy and horror genres, I’ve been digging through a lot of websites, ‘zines, etc. I’ve got to say that I’ve been really underwhelmed by what I’ve seen. I guess my tastes may be a bit too high brow, but there seems to be a real drought of what I’d describe as literary fantasy and horror. No offense to the great people out there publishing fiction, but most of what I’ve read is subpar.

The strongest writing I’ve found is on Scifi.com’s now dead Scifiction site edited by the great Ellen Datlow (who you may also know from The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror annual anthology). You can still read all the back content on the site, and there’s a lot of good stuff there.

So I’ve been playing around with the idea of putting together my own online anthology, or perhaps even publishing a small ‘zine or chapbook. I’m not sure I actually want to read random submissions, or spend the time I’d need to commit as an editor, but I feel like there’s a real hole out there that needs to be filled.

Sigh. Decisions, decisions …

Watching our girls crawl around the floor (and on each other), I’m struck that here — 10 months later — Tina and I are still alive. It is an amazing accomplishment given everything we’ve been through. A far cry from late last August when I was so overwhelmed with the burden of parenthood I had surrendered all hope for the future.

When depression hits me, I tend to do two things — 1) stop working and 2) play a lot of video games. Lately, I’ve done a lot of working and played few video games, so I must be on the mend.

I’ve been focusing on writing, again. Writing, which has dogged me my entire life, since I was young and typing out stories on my mother’s old manual typewriter. As a kid, I spent whole summers writing — short stories, comic books, fragments of novels. And yet, there was always something wrong, some intangible quality about my work that made me throw it out. I knew that although I was reasonably good at constructing a sentence, I wasn’t so good at coming up with original ideas. I lacked experience — both in life and as a reader — that kept me from creating stories I felt were good enough to show people.

After discarding thousands of pages, I made a promise to myself — that I would stop. Instead, I’d focus my time on living, on reading, on learning. I’d taken enough creative writing classes in colleges to see a mountain of terrible work, including my own — and that to distinguish myself I would have to bone up different subjects, I’d have to have a reservoir of knowledge, historical, trivial, pop cultural, to draw on. Without it, I would never create something I could be proud of. And when I was older — say around thirty or so — I would turn back to writing again. And so I have.

“The Alberic Heresies” was my first step back into the water. In some ways, writing a comic book is easy. I’ve read so much criticism, deconstructed so many comic books and learned a tremendous amount about storytelling from DVD commentaries and onlilne interviews, that I’ve found that putting out something that passes my benchmark for “good” hasn’t been so difficult. Now, as “Alberic” rolls ahead, it’s time to turn to that more elusive target: prose.

Over the past few months I’ve developed a catalog of stories in my head, notes typed hastily on my laptop, sketches capable of turning into something more substantial. But time is the problem, with my little girls taking up so much of it. I have the third issue of “The Alberic Heresies” to finish, as well as the first chunk of a graphic novel with artist Evan Keeling and a 10-page play about zombies for a contest sponsored by our friends at “The New Playhouse.”

Once my commitments are finished, I’ll begin work on several short stories. My plan is — if they’re good — to submit them to various markets. As publication is always an uncertain thing, it may be that you’ll have to read them here on Restaurant Fuel. Whether or not I’m successful at finding a publisher isn’t the issue — it’s the writing that matters. Just like when I was a kid, typing away on rolls of paper taken from the printing where my dad worked as a press operator.

The other part of the plan is to go to graduate school for writing. I’ve been sitting on tuition remission for nearly five years now and done next to nothing with it. It’s time to use it.

I’ve often been skeptical of attempts to adapt big science fiction and fantasy television properties to comics. For one thing, there’s not a lot that can be done with them storywise — particularly for comics based on serial properties such as Battlestar Galactica. Since a comic book is ancillary to the original property, by its definition it can’t do much with the source material unless the show has been cancelled. No matter what, the cast always has to remain at status quo. This doesn’t mean that you can’t tell some good stories, it’s just that you cant’ change the characters.

But a bigger factor, I think, is the fact that comic book creators just aren’t on par with their television counterparts. Not to bash Greg Pak who I am sure is a great writer on the Hulk, but his previewed work on Battlestar Galactica is a bit underwhelming. Not only is his adaptation set before the big event that closed the second season of the show and completely changed the series status quo, but there’s just something off about the writing. The charcters just don’t ring true to me — the voices are wrong. The art doesn’t do them any favors, either.

You can have a look for yourself here.

Not unsurprisingly, the comic book version of Galactica looks to be on the verge of very high sales. But I’m afraid I’m not going to be adding it to the pull list.

So, I just finished up reading Jack McDevitt’s “Polaris,” the follow-up to the classic “A Talent for War,” and I have to say that I have never been so disappointed in a writer.

“A Talent for War” was a brilliant fusion of hard science fiction to the mystery genre, loaded with big ideas, great characters and political commentary. In brief, “A Talent for War” followed far future antiquities dealer Alex Benedict, as he sought to unravel the mystery of what really happened to one of his society’s greatest war heroes. It quite deftly forced the reader to question the established historical record and see that sometimes it’s very difficult to separate objective history from populist mythology. When I got to the end of the book and the answer to its final mystery, I was completely floored — almost every element in the book was perfect. It’s also worth mentioning that even though it was published in 1989, “A Talent for War” still offered a believable far future society and lacked the anachronisms that can sometimes kill a classic science fiction novel.

“Polaris” begins some 15 years after the original, featuring the further adventures of Alex Benedict and his assistant Chase Kolpath (the book’s female narrator) as they seek to figure out what happened to the passengers of the luxury yacht Polaris who disappeared shortly after witnessing a celestial event. Like a futuristic Marie Celeste, the ship was completely intact, with the all of the belongings of the passengers still aboard.

Despite a rollicking opening chapter, the book quickly falls into the familiar forumla employed in modern thrillers such as “The Davinci Code.” The science fiction elements were brief, the world that was developed in “A Talent for War” appeared hollow and superficial in this one, and I had a really difficult time believing in the authenticity of the female narrator. Chase Kolpath speaks and thinks like a man.

What’s worse, many of the things that happened in the first book (Alex’s house is broken into and robbed, their spinner [aka flying car] is sabatagoed, etc.) happen in this one. What’s more, although Alex Benedict was a great and compelling protagonist in “A Talent for War,” by making Chase the narrator, he’s almost a cipher in this one.

I’ve heard great things abotu McDevitt’s “space opera” novels, and one bad book won’t keep me from trying his other work, but I have to say I’m much less enthusiastic about cracking open his other books after struggling to finish this one. I’m certainly not going to buy the third “Benedict/Kolpath” novel, “Seeker” in hardback. If it’s anything like “Polaris,” it’s definitely not going to be worth cover price.

Final verdict on “Polaris”: ** 1/2

Post script: I’m happy that the Nebula Awards voters had the good sense to award this year’s “Best Novel” award to Joe Haldeman’s “Camouflage” and not Jack McDevitt’s “Polaris.” If this is the best science fiction has to offer, I’d hate to see the worst.

Andrew Sullivan, the conservative blogger and commentator, is perhaps my favorite online pundit. Odd that I would say that, being on the opposite end of so many issues, but I really respect Andrew. He changes his mind, uses reason, and sometimes he’s even right. I see him on the street all the time, either with his partner or riding his bike. I’ve resisted the urge to talk to him, which is probably silly, since we live in the same neighborhood.

He regularly rounds up some of the best blog posts on the conservative side. Such as this one, featuring an ardent conservative’s apology for supporting Bush. Definitely worth reading.

The trailer for Oliver Stone’s “World Trade Center” is now up at Apple.com. It’s definitely not what I expected — given Stone’s track record, a lot of people assumed that it might be Stone’s “Farenheit 9/11.” Instead it seems more like a rescue drama.

If I see either of the big 9/11 films, this is the one I’d probably go to. “United 93″ seems too much like a horror film to me. It’s not an incident I want to live through cinematically.

There’s been a lot of talk about Gore’s potential return to politics in the blogosphere. In particular, Andrew Sullivan has been having an ongoing discussion with his readers on the subject, which you can read here and here. I think Gore’s new environmental film has sparked a lot of the discussion, and I’m not sure he’s really considering a run, but it’s still a tantalizing possibility.

In the 1990’s, I was never a big fan of Al Gore, and I hated him in 2000. Politically speaking, I am a democrat, although my labor dem roots kind of put me all over the political spectrum on various issues (example: liberal on education, realistic federal assistance to the poor, civil rights, health care; conservative on guns). Gore, to me, was one of the party’s elites — wooden, passionless, insincere, pandering to polls. Granted, I was less of a fan of George W. Bush’s, and ended up voting for Gore in 2000, anyway. Bush, I surmised, didn’t have the stuff to be President of the United States. Six years later, following Florida recount, the Iraq debacle, warrentless wiretapping, Plamegate, Katrina (”Brownie, you’re doing a heckuva job”), the torture policy, insane government spending, insane tax cuts and his immigration flip-flop, and I’m pretty sure that my original assessment of Bush’s character was correct.

The thing is, after Florida, Al Gore turned into a new person. Gone were the consultants who micromanaged every aspect of his personality — Gore became vital, engaging, smart, funny and human. Had this Al Gore run against George W. Bush in 2000, he would have won. I’ve found that I really like him as of late, that I’ve really developed an enthusiasm for a Gore candidacy. I’m fond of the new honest, funny Al Gore — the guy who kids us about his loss in Florida, a man whose time has come as his number one issue — the enviornment — steps into the fore of American politics. I want to spend a year watching him on the campaign trail, contrasting against Hillary’s stiffness, her John Kerry-esque parsing, her ambition to win the presidency by sacrificing all of her party’s values in a cynical attempt to play to the mythical American “middle.” I want to see him beat her, and then I want to see him trounce the opposition — George Allen, Sam Brownback, or another Republican given the religious right’s seal of approval in the primaries (if you think this candidate will be John McCain, then there’s a bridge in Narnia I’d like to sell you).

Al Gore is the right man at the right time. If only he can muster the wisdom to see it.

I have struggled over the past few days to work on various writing projects, but my twins, always demanding such inconsequential things as food, love and attention, have conspired to make my efforts fail. They do it with a grin and a giggle, and they take great pleasure in watching me writhe around on the floor, trying to claw my way over to the computer to type out a few pages of script. I used to think I could work after their bed time, but lately they’ve decided not to sleep, so I end up spending what could be writing time trying to catch a few moments of rest before the inevitable explosion.

I did managed to write a complete page of Alberic #3 this past weekend, as well as polish up the pages I’d already completed. That’s an accomplishment.

But a bigger accomplishment is that The Alberic Heresies #1 is now available. Find out more and order it here .

“I am your shield — I am your swords …”

I know I’ve written long, impassioned love letters to Halo, and I have even admitted to belonging to the bizarre, Scientology-esque cult that obsesses over the game. But I have to say that I never expected to be so moved, so blown away by the teaser trailer for Halo 3. Have a look at it here.

Thinking of where Halo 3 takes the series — with earth completely conquered by the Covenent, that terrible collection of extraterrestrial religious extremists on a doomsday quest to eliminate all life in the universe to jump start their “Great Journey” — and you know this game is going to go to dark places that most mere video games don’t tread. And there’s something comforting and awe inspiring about Master Chief, a genetically-engineered cybernetic warrior, being the last hope that the Covenent may be defeated. Word’s can’t express what the hardcore Halo fan feels when Master Chief emerges from the horizon, assault rifle in hand, battle damaged, but still ready to go. It’s that same feeling we got when we saw the Halo 2 trailer in movie theaters back in the summer of 2004 and filled the room with thunderous applause when Master Chief appears perched on a high mound of rumble, dual SMG’s in hand. “I need a weapon,” he says, and you get this amazing chill. Because you know that the Covenent are going to be spectacularly wiped out. And you also know that you yourself will step in Master Chief’s armor and be administering that much deserved arse-kicking.

I know, I know. Halo fandom is bizarre and intense. But I’ve got to say, it’s the most fun I’ve ever had as any part of a community. When Halo 3 finally puts a lid on the series, I know I’ll look back fondly on something that elevated video games above simple “entertainment,” that was a tremendous cultural event shared by millions of people online. Think on it — Halo 2 earned $125 million on its first day. People dropped $200 on an XBOX just to play it. How much did MI:3 earn on its opening day — $43 million? That’s less than half of what the Chief pulled in — take that Tom Cruise.

“Finish the Fight — 2007

God, I can’t wait.

After nearly a year away, Tina and I have launched the second season of the “I LIke Seamonsters/Restaurant Fuel” podcast. I’m still in the process of updating the feed and making it fully iTunes compliant, but the episode is now available for download.

Download it here: “Tales of Twin Terrors”

Subscribe: Podcast feed (copy link and paste into iTunes, iPodder, etc.)