Science Fiction and Fantasy Events in Toronto, April 2012

This will be my last SF/F Events post.  I started my evens calendar with the idea that, knowing what was happening, I'd attend more events.  But living outside of Toronto, I've found it's too much effort to head downtown for events, so...  I'll keep up the links I used to find events, so anyone interested can do their own research.  And, as always, check the websites to confirm times and locations.

Tuesday April 3

Rober J. Saywer: Triggers Book Launch
Where: Dominion on Queen (500 Queen Street East), Toronto, Ontario
When: 7:00 p.m.

Thursday April 5 

Dr Who Information Network (DWIN) Pub Night

There is a regular Doctor Who Tavern/Pub gathering in Toronto on the first Thursday of each month

Where: Paupers Pub, 539 Bloor Street West (near Bathurst). We meet up at the back near the dartboards.
When: People usually start to arrive around 8:00pm.

Wednesday April 11


The ChiSeries is pleased to invite James Alan Gardner, Rio Youers and Ursula Pflug!
Where: Augusta House (152 Augusta Ave)

When: 8-11 PM


Saturday April 14 - Sunday April 15 

Wizard World Toronto Comic Con

Where: Metro Toronto Convention Center
When: Sat 10 AM - 7 PM, Sun 11 AM - 6 PM
Ticket info and more


Friday April 20 - Sunday April 22 

FilKONtario

Where: Delta Hotel Toronto Airport West (5444 Dixie Road, Mississauga)
Cost: pre-register before April 14th, prices and pre-registration form here.


Saturday April 21

Toronto Public Library

Keep Toronto Reading: Anime North at the Library
Where: North York Central Library Auditorium
When: 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Cosplay and a screening of the complete "Read or Die!" series. Speaker Chris Warrilow ("War Horse") on creating amazing costumes and props. Plus: win passes to Anime North 2012. Presented with Anime North.


Sunday April 22 

Space-Time Continuum SFF Discussion Group

Where: Bakka Phoenix Books, 84 Harbord Street
When: 1 pm
Topic: TBD


Saturday April 28

Third annual Toronto Atlas Obscura day - A compendium of the Worlds Wonders curiosities and esoterica.
Where: Comedy Bar, Dupont Street
When: 10 pm - 1 am
Cost: $20, available at Helles Belles and eventbrite

Join your host Mysterion as he presents some of the strangest acts to ever-

Marvel at the worlds tiniest burlesque dancer, Viva Le Muerte, half the size but with all the parts!!

Be thrilled at the Mighty Leviticus, able to withstand darts against his bare skin and twist metal rods with his bare hands!!

The Evil Professor Sinister, he enjoys pain so much you will scream and squeal when you see what he does to his own body just for you, ungaffed and real!!!

The Cloven Path ministries, your guide to Satanic Salvation!!!

Dr. Eugenia Mooney- What secrets lie beneath 5000 years of mystery... an authentic Victorian mummy unwrapping LIVE, will it be royalty or will a curse be unleashed on the crowd..... witness this spectacle if you dare!

Sinful Burlesque of the most unique- The bizarre Obyskyura, Kitty kane from the UK, Octogirl Fionna Flauntit, the cannibal Dolly Berlin, The 4 legged Tanya Cheex, and the twisted AUTOPSY Of Chaos Divine and Vanity Boom.

All this and a curative of the only sideshow museum you can come up and touch and handle- Do you dare hold cursed objects, a real Kampala skull used for blood rituals, or the torture tools of the sickening WW2 death camps.... these items are real and from the personal collection of Mysterion, part of a collection featured in the media as one of the most oddest in the country.

Women in SF Month and YA Book Scavenger Hunt

Fantasy Book Cafe is hosting a Women in SF Month in April and I'll be doing a guest post there, so swing by during the month (or better yet, follow her blog) and see what's happening.  The first week's line-up includes: Nancy Kress, Elizabeth Bear and Carol Berg.

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I stumbled across a blog called YA blog scavenger hunt that is currently hosting a scavenger hunt.  Up for grabs are 3 batches of 20 signed YA books.  To win, you have to follow one of three hunts, red, blue and yellow (and yes, you can enter all three).  Find the hidden letters on each blog, make the phrase, and enter the contest.  Most of the blogs are having side giveaways for swag and extra books as well as showing exclusive content.  The hunt ends at noon on April 1st, so you've got some time.   And it's an international contest.

I had a lot of fun following all three hunts, and here are some of the books I discovered along the way:

In a near future, society is segregated according to whether people are genetically disposed to mental illness. 17-year-old Ana has been living the privileged life of a Pure due to an error in her DNA test. When the authorities find out, she faces banishment from her safe Community, a fate only thwarted by the fact that she has already been promised to Pure-boy Jasper Taurell.

Jasper is from a rich and influential family and despite Ana’s condition, wants to be with her. The authorities grant Ana a tentative reprieve. If she is joined to Jasper before her 18th birthday, she may stay in the Community until her illness manifests. But if Jasper changes his mind, she will be cast out among the Crazies. As Ana’s joining ceremony and her birthday loom closer, she dares to hope she will be saved from the horror of the City and live a ‘normal’ life. But then Jasper disappears.

Led to believe Jasper has been taken by a strange sect the authorities will not interfere with, Ana sneaks out of her well-guarded Community to find him herself. Her search takes her through the underbelly of society and into the pits of the human soul. And as she delves deeper into the mystery of Jasper's abduction she uncovers some devastating truths that destroy everything she has grown up to believe, but she also learns to love as she has never loved before.

You can see the trailer for it here and enter to win copies on her website.

When a strange boy tumbles down a river embankment and lands at her feet, seventeen-year-old adrenaline junkie Deznee Cross snatches the opportunity to piss off her father by bringing the mysterious hottie with ice blue eyes home.

Except there’s something off with Kale. He wears her shoes in the shower, is overly fascinated with things like DVDs and vases, and acts like she’ll turn to dust if he touches her. It’s not until Dez’s father shows up, wielding a gun and knowing more about Kale than he should, that Dez realizes there’s more to this boy—and her father’s “law firm”—than she realized.

Kale has been a prisoner of Denazen Corporation—an organization devoted to collecting “special” kids known as Sixes and using them as weapons—his entire life. And, oh yeah, his touch? It kills. The two team up with a group of rogue Sixes hellbent on taking down Denazen before they’re caught and her father discovers the biggest secret of all. A secret Dez has spent her life keeping safe.

A secret Kale will kill to protect.

The premise reminds me of Shatter Me, which I really enjoyed. And here's Mr. Accardo's website.

Sixteen-year-old Noli Braddock's hoyden ways land her in an abusive reform school far from home. On mid-summer's eve she wishes to be anyplace but that dreadful school. A mysterious man from the Realm of Faerie rescues her and brings her to the Otherworld, only to reveal that she must be sacrificed, otherwise, the entire Otherworld civilization will perish.

And Ms. Lazear's website.









And while this last book doesn't fall under SF/F, it sounds pretty awesome.

Murder is such a dirty word…

In Port Gamble (aka “Empty Coffin”), Washington, truth is about as hard to come by as a sunny day. One minute Katelyn is a depressed teen with a loser life. The next, she’s lying on a stainless steel slab, eyes glassy, skin frosted over, and very, very dead.

Down the street from Katelyn, twins Hayley and Taylor Ryan can’t escape the encroaching winter darkness. As they recover from the shock of Katelyn’s death, they realize how entwined they already are in the evil circulating Empty Coffin. And while they can’t explain it, an unknown force pushes them to uncover the truth. Is Katelyn Port Gamble’s first and only victim?

And Mr. Olsen's website.

Makes me want to spend more time in the teen section.  There are a lot of other great books, so go check out the scavenger hunt.

New Author Spotlight: Leah Bobet

New Author Spotlight is a series designed to introduce authors with 3 books or less in the different SF/F subgenres.

Today's spotlight shines on Leah Bobet!

Her debut novel is Above published by Arthur Levine Books.



Here's the cover copy...

A gorgeous urban fantasy about dangers outside and in.

Matthew has always lived in Safe, a community hidden far beneath the pipes and tunnels of the city Above. The residents fled to Safe years before to escape the Whitecoats and their cruel experiments, and now Matthew is responsible for both the keeping of Safe's stories and for Ariel, a golden-haired shapeshifter, and the most beautiful girl he's ever seen.

But one horrifying night, an old enemy murders Safe's founder, Atticus, and the community is taken over by an army of shadows. Only Matthew, Ariel, and a handful of friends escape Above. Now they not only have to survive in a sunlit world they barely know, but they must unravel the mystery of the shadows' fury and Atticus's death. It's up to Matthew to find a way to remake Safe, not just for himself and his family, but for Ariel, who's again faced with the life she fled, and who needs him more than ever before.

An urban fantasy and a love story, Above is the breathtaking debut of an extraordinary new voice.

Check out her book if you like stories where teen protagonists are forced underground:

• Shade's Children by Garth Nix (HarperCollins)
• Unwindby Neal Shusterman (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)
• Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (Quirk Books)

Book Review: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Pros: interesting setting, brilliant assassin school/convent idea, characters all have realistic motivations (including the antagonists)

Cons: I didn't understand why Ismae was chosen for the mission

Ismae is 17 years old and about to be married off to a man who is likely as boorish and abusive as her father, when she's spirited away to a convent.  There she learns that being the daughter of Death is not a curse but a blessing and is trained in the ways of assassins.  

But she skips out on her lessons on courtliness and seduction, lessons that would have helped with her third assignment, at the court of Brittany's besieged twelve year old Duchess.  A Duchess whose hand in marriage was promised to a boorish, brutal man.  This is a marriage alliance that her older half-brother, Duval, the man Ismae is to accompany to court, and whom she must watch for signs of treason, intends to prevent.  

As she tries to see through the various plots at court, Ismae discovers she has feelings for Duval.  But Death's Handmaidens are not trained for love.

Late Medieval Brittany is a fantastic setting, with all the political intrigue at the Duchess's court as well as the threat of attack from the French.  There's even the threat of attack from her suitor should she break the betrothal agreement her father made with him.  The countryside is suitably rustic and court extravagant.  

The convent to the old God of Death, Mortain, now called a Saint after the Christianization of the land, and its training of assassins who work for His cause, was brilliant.  It feels more like a boarding school setting, with the girls learning the different arts they will need.  The only off note here was the inclusion of Eastern style martial arts, which would have been unknown in those parts at that time.  But as it's historical fantasy, one cannot fault the author for wanting to include throwing stars (or rondelles as they're called in the book) and the like in the arsenals of the girls.

The motivations for each characters actions is realistic, even those of the bad guys.  Indeed, the book shows court life in all its complexity, with few being trustworthy and everyone working towards their own aims - even when those aims are in direct opposition to those of their sovereign.  It also shows the power and lack thereof of women.  Though Duchess, due to her age and sex Anne's  voice isn't held in high esteem.  And her council members try to make the best decisions for Brittany, even though they may not be the best decisions for Anne herself.

My only real complaint with the book was that Ismae shouldn't have been sent on this mission.  She didn't have the understanding of court life required nor was she sufficiently adept at hiding her identity or mission.  I was surprised that no back story was created to explain her meeting Duval, and she was constantly jumping to conclusions, or assuming that events could only point to one answer, while I often saw other options that she missed or only considered in passing.  This pushed me out of the story on many occasions, when I wondered why the convent would send her, as a novice, when they must have had more experienced women they could have sent who would have done a much better job.  She was also accepted at court more readily than I believed possible (given her peasant upbringing and her lack of comfort with court/city life) and allowed to wander everywhere, something I doubt a real court would have allowed of a high ranking officer's mistress (which was her cover story, and an odd cover story for a woman who is trying to hobnob with ladies-in-waiting).  Ismae was surprisingly bad at talking to servants, which given that she was looking for gossip, seemed a serious failing.  She also tuned out the gossip of the Duchess's ladies on those few occasions when she met with them.  I was surprised that their gossip was always passed off as being frivolous, when in reality there would have been some political undertones to their conversation.  

The book ended well - indeed Ismae came into her own for the last hundred pages and I liked her a lot more for it.  

If you can overlook Ismae's unsuitableness for the mission, it's an interesting read.

Books Received March 2012

These are the books I received in March.  Quoted synopses are from the linked pages.

Amped by Daniel H. Wilson: "people are implanted with a device that makes them capable of superhuman feats. The powerful technology has profound consequences for society, and soon a set of laws is passed that restricts the abilities-and rights-of "amplified" humans. On the day that the Supreme Court passes the first of these laws, twenty-nine-year-old Owen Gray joins the ranks of a new persecuted underclass known as "amps." Owen is forced to go on the run, desperate to reach an outpost in Oklahoma where, it is rumored, a group of the most enhanced amps may be about to change the world-or destroy it."

Shadow and Betrayal by Daniel Abraham (an omnibus edition that includes A Shadow in Summer and A Betrayal in Winter): "...the aggressively expansionist Galt empire has alreadyconquered lands across a huge continent. But the cities of the Khaiem resist Galt's power with the andat-creatures of magic with godlike powers.

Each andat is brought into being by a "poet" who must say the right words and exert the iron will needed to control gods. Theindustrialized Galt war machine is helpless against the powers of the andat…but political intrigue and deep treachery combine to shift the balance of power in a world of ancient empires and immortal magics.

One man, Otah Machi, stands at the crossroads of history in these imaginary world fantasies, the fulcrum around which the wheels of epic history rotate through achingly poignant cycles of life and death, love and betrayal."

Spirits of Glory by Emily Davenport: "One morning, the people of the North woke up and the people of the South were gone. That’s the first thing every child learns on the colony world of Jigsaw. But for one girl, knowing about The Disappearance is not enough. Hawkeye wants to know why. Her curiosity won't let her refuse a journey to the Forbidden Cities, even though she's going into more danger than she can imagine."

Article 5 by Kristen Simmons: The US has instituted a series of moral decrees, which have led to the incarceration of 17 year old Ember's mother and Ember being sent to a correctional school.  Her feelings for the boy she used to love - who was part of the team that took her mother away - complicate her life as she tries to reunite with her mother.

Claws and Saucers: Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Film A Complete Guide 1902-1982 by David Elroy Goldweber: "Discover CLAWS AND SAUCERS, the fullest and strongest guide to classic science fiction, horror, and fantasy films ever written."

Aria Hahn by J. M. Carnright (a Cinematic interactive ebook, iPad app) : "ARIA HAHN - The Sena Project blends cinema, art, and an original symphonic score with a story based in the distant future while being hauntingly pertinent to our world today. This complete sensory experience of sight, sound, and touch takes the reader far beyond where ordinary eBooks go, thrusting you into other worlds filled with visual wonder and, at times, menacing fear."

On The Shoulders of Giants

On the Shoulders of Giants is an independently produced film coming out this summer.  It's a 50's retro SF film, done in homage to Forbidden Planet, directed by K. D. Barker.


From their press release:

In the 23rd century mankind had finaly travelled beyond the confines of Earth's solar system and made contact with intelligent extraterrestrials. New forms of atomic propulsion has finally made space exploration to distant worlds possible. 

During starship Andromeda’s maiden voyage its Einstein-Rosen (ER) drive is successfully tested. A vessel equipped with an ER drive is capable of crossing the galaxy in days by travelling through self-generated wormholes. The ER drive was designed by the child science genius N'tron Zepethar.

Fifteen years earlier the starship Leviathan (with Zepethar aboard and propelled by his first version of an ER drive) disappeared on its maiden voyage. As the only other vessel equipped with an operational ER drive the Andromeda is reassigned to the Leviathan's rescue mission.

After fifteen years on Theta-25L, Zepethar is the sole survivor of the Leviathan's crew.

When Commander Altaire begins searching for answers to the Leviathan’s demise it soon becomes apparent both Zepethar and Theta-25L harbour terrifying secrets...

Book Review: Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

Pros: protagonist shows real growth at the end of the book, spunky heroine

Cons: heroine is surprisingly naive given her age and circumstances, willful misunderstandings between Ember and Chase that complicate their interactions and romance, minimal worldbuilding

For Parents: no swearing, no sexual content, some violence (corporal punishment, off stage executions)

Ember's world is shattered when her mother is arrested on an Article 5 violation, putting Ember into the custody of the state.  She is desperate to escape her new home, reform school, and help her mother at all costs.  Meanwhile she wonders at the betrayal of her closest friend, and first love, Chase, who was drafted into the army and was one of the arresting officers who took her mother away.

While I imagine teens will love Ember, she's feisty and won't back down from defending her rights, most adults will find her attitude tiresome.  Yes, you can argue that she's doing the right thing by fighting back, but she's not doing the SMART thing.  The smart thing at the reform school would have been to lay low and find out how things work before planning an escape attempt.  Instead she draws attention to herself right away, so she's watched more carefully - making it harder to escape and bringing down draconian punishments on herself.

Having said that, the ending is that much better as you finally see her realize that there's a time to fight and a time to watch and plan.  And while her plan comes off better than I believe it would have in real life, I felt proud of Ember for growing up and learning this very important lesson.

Part of her rebelliousness shows in her relationship with Chase.  Both characters complicate their interactions and their own feelings by willfully misrepresenting their circumstances (Chase lying about how he was treated in the army for example).  I understood why Chase didn't tell her what happened to her mother but I was amazed that she didn't figure it out.  And a lot of Ember's actions relied on spur of the moment decisions based on fear rather than planned actions.

Finally, Ember is very clueless about her world, and that shows up in the minor worldbuilding.  We're told of the war that has allowed the President to corrupt the US using the Statues of Morality, but we aren't told who the war was against or why it was fought, nor do we learn if there was opposition to the Statues, etc., etc..   

The ending made the book worth reading, but I suspect many adults will not make it that far.  This is one for teens - and they'll love it.