I have now had three fantastic days at Aussiecon 4.

The best part is that, even after three whole days of awesomeness, there are still two more days to go!

Gail Carriger: Book Signing & Photo

Today was particularly fantastic because I went to Gail Carriger’s book signing at which she signed my copy of her third book, ‘Blameless’ :)

I also got my photo taken with her:

:)

All three of her books – ‘Soulless’, ‘Changeless’, and ‘Blameless’ (collectively known as the Parasol Protectorate series) – are really good, by the way. They’re fun, funny, and creative and they feature Alexia Tarabotti who has quickly become one of my favourite science fiction characters.

These books, if I could describe how they feel, are like chocolate cake without the calories: they’re delicious, decadent, lots of fun, and you don’t feel guilty about gorging on them.

Maybe at the next Worldcon, instead of wearing my ‘What would Ripley do?’ t-shirt (as I am in the photo above), I might have to make and wear a ‘What would Alexia do?’ t-shirt, instead.

Sessions Attended on Day 3

I attended the following sessions today:

Copyright in the 21st Century

• Copyright is complicated
• At a very basic level, you have to ask yourself: “What is the purpose of copyright”? and
• How much of it has to do with protecting and/or recognizing intellectual property?
• How much of it has to do with the economic benefits of creative work flowing to authors?

The best SF novel you have never read

As if I didn’t already have a huge list of books to read, I now have more; including:

• ‘Feed’ by M. T. Anderson (Wikipedia)
• ‘Soon I Will Be Invincible’ by Austin Grossman (Wikipedia)
• ‘The Brief History of the Dead’ by Kevin Brockmeier (Wikipedia)
• ‘The Eyre Affair’ by Jasper Fforde (Wikipedia)
• ‘The Magicians’ by Lev Grossman (Wikipedia)
• ‘The Fortunate Fall’ by Raphael Carter (Wikipedia)
• ‘Ascent’ by Jed Mercurio (Wikipedia)
• ‘Sun & Moon, Ice & Snow’ by Jessica Day George (Good Reads)
• ‘Blindsight’ by Peter Watts (Wikipedia; free Creative Commons download)
• ‘Lint’ by Steve Aylett (Wikipedia)
• ‘Sorcery and Cecilia’ by Patricia C Wrede & Caroline Stevermer (The SF Site)
• ‘The Carhullan Army’ by Sarah Hall (Guardian)
• ‘Starpilot’s Grave’ by Debra Doyle & James D. MacDonald (Powell’s)
• ‘Knowledge of Angels’ by Jill Paton Walsh (Wikipedia)
• ‘Carbon Diaries 2015’ by Saci Lloyd (The Age)
• ‘The Native Star’ by M. K. Hobson (Wikipedia)
• ‘Ysabel’ by Guy Gavriel Kay (Wikipedia)
• ‘Blue Silence’ by (Not Free SF Reader)
• ‘Aberystwyth Mon Amour’ by Malcolm Pryce (Everything2)

I also have a book that was published as a podcast series to listen to:

• ‘Union Dues’ by (review; download from Escape Pod)

The James Bond enigma

• James Bond is the only spy movie franchise to have survived the decades (for a number of reasons; one of which is that it keeps adapting to the needs of that particular decade)
• It is being threatened by the Bourne series of movies
• The reboot is great because it’s now gone back to its old, darker, more character driven, and less gadget focused style

Melinda Snodgrass: writing for television

• Melinda Snodgrass is really cool (Wikipedia)

Kim Stanley Robinson's guest of honour speech

• Robinson interviewed himself; it was a really good speech

Cyberpunk and the city

• Cyberpunk as a political movement is dead but it remains alive as a stylistic movement through fashion and iconography
• It has evolved to what is sometimes called ‘post-cyberpunk’ (until someone comes up with a better name for it) in which the protagonist is often trying to fix a dystopian work by building instead of by tearing down
• It has a sub-genres, such as biopunk

Just a Minute

• This was a fun SF-oriented quiz show based on the famous and long running BBC Radio show of the same name
• It featured Paul Cornell (as host), Jennifer Fallon, Patrick Nielsen Hayden, Chine Mieville, John Scalzi, and Catherynne Valente
• It started late and ran over time so I missed the end but I’m pretty sure Scalzi won hands down :)

Academic Panel: Fantastic females: reworking feminism in women’s fantasy

• This was my favourite session of the day and, for more, I suggest you read Tansy Rayner Roberts’s blog post on it (BTW, I left the ‘Capes and skirts: the plight of female superheroes’ talk that she mentions in her blog post because it became clear pretty early that, sadly, it wasn’t going to be worth it.)
• I highly recommend you read the books written by Gail Carriger, Glenda Larke, Tansy Rayner Roberts, Catherynne M. Valente, and Alaya Dawn Johnson (BTW, Johnson was also fantastic on the ‘These are not the people you are looking for: race in SFF’ session on Day 1)

Masquerade

• The masquerade was fun; some people make awesome costumes

Sessions for Day 4

Tomorrow I’m planning to attend these sessions:

• The problems with first contact or Film Program: International Animated Shorts
• Do you want to be in our club? or Far future: where fantasy meets SF or Anachronistic fiction: successors to steampunk
• Readings: Jason Nahrung, Gail Carriger or 3D cinema: revolution or novelty? or Editing the novel or The case for a female Doctor or Novellas: the perfect format (this is going to be a difficult choice!)
• Great women of science fiction or, if I can make it, a kaffeeklatsch with Charles Stross
• The short half-life of strange television
• Science fiction and the television industry or The limits of science
• The future of gender and sexuality or Norman Cates’ WETA digital presentation
• Mary Poppins: from the Outback to Cherry Tree Lane or Build a LEGO Dalek (for adults) or Boxcutters present: writing Doctor Who
• The Hugo Awards

It should, again, be an awesome day – by the end of which we’ll find out who’s won this year’s Hugos :)