When reading Shambleau and Other Stories as part of the Puppy of the Month Club, The Frisky Pagan, Jon, and I came across perniciousaccusations that C. L. Moore's "Shambleau" was essentially a space-western--with all the anti-imperialism that this implies. Since reskinning westerns as space stories was more properly an artifact of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, this appeared to be yet another instance of science fiction critics aggressively forcing old stories into modern molds to find the earliest version of the modern form, a tendency that was already old in the Campbelline era.
To refute this, The Frisky Pagan and I turned to the words of C. L. Moore herself. From "Afterward: On 'Shambleau' and Others," found in The Best of C. L. Moore:
Midway down that yellow page I began fragments remembered from sophomore English at the university. All the choices were made at random. Keats, Browning, Byron— you name it. In the middle of this exercise a line from a poem (by William Morris?) worked itself to the front and I discovered myself typing something about a “red, running figure.” I looked at it a while, my mind a perfect blank, and then shifted mental gears without even adding punctuation to mark the spot, swinging with idiot confidence into the first lines of the story which ended up as “Shambleau.”
For those who slept through English classes in college like me, Keats and Byron were second generation Romanticists, part of a movement of poets and authors that created, among other works, Gothic fantasies such as The Castle of Otranto and Frankenstein. Browning and Morris were Victorian poets (contemporary with the American romanticists Poe and Hawthorne) that adapted the lyrical and fantasy traditions of the second generation Romanticists into Victorian sensibilities. The distinction between the two periods is minor, as "One has difficulty determining with any accuracy where the Romantic Movement of the early nineteenth century leaves off and the Victorian Period begins because these traditions have so many aspects in common." C. L. Moore had immersed herself in the classics from these men, and was familiar with the melancholy, mystery, individualism, and darkness that embodied their works and would soon be hallmarks of her own pre-Campbelline stories. And, as an avid Weird Tales reader, she would have also read reprinted works from Poe and Hawthorne in its pages. In her Northwest Smith and Jirel of Joiry tales, Moore would become one of the last flowers of the Gothic tradition in science fiction, writing before Campbell's twin revolutions in science fiction and fantasy removed these Romantic elements from American weird fiction.
But while this passage establishes the link between C. L. Moore and Romantic writers, a firm link between her and Hawthorne's "Rappaccini's Daughter" has yet to be established by evidence. For that, the next few days will in turn examine "Rappaccini's Daughter" and Moore's "Black Thirst."
Northwest Smith is dry-gulched in a old temple by patrols. As hunger and thirst start playing with his mind, he see a strange alien girl crying about being lost. He decides to help her, leading her towards a tree mural. She then takes the lead, pulling him into a strange, gray land filled with trees. In the shadows, little people murmur, "beware of Thag..."
Once again, Northwest Smith is alone, once again he is in peril, once again he meets an alien girl, and once again, some thing wants to eat him. What should be formulaic still remains fresh on the strength of the monsters of each story. In this case, Thag is a superdimensional being currently shaped like a tree. It is just as predatory as Shambleau and the Alendar, and it farms its food in a similar manner to the Alendar. But it embodied a different form of malice from the other two.
C. L. Moore loves the Poisoned Garden trope. "Black God's Shadow," "Black Thirst," "Tree of Life," and "Scarlet Dream" each feature their own dangerous garden, complete with hidden perils. This trope has a long history in weird fiction, tracing back to at least 1844 when Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote "Rappaccini's Daughter." In it, a young woman, Beatrice, lives among a poisoned garden, guarded by her father and the poisonous plants. Giovanni falls in love with her, but succumbs to the plants that have made Beatrice poisonous herself. The antidote he made to free her from the poisons of the garden instead kill her. (The text can be found here.) While "Black Thirst" is the purest example of Hawthorne's influence on Moore's storytelling, as it follows the same beats, the influence of the poisoned garden pervades her settings as a key element to the eeriness of her works.
All in all, "Tree of Life" was a solid story, even if Northwest Smith should be locked in a monastery for his own safety.
This trend in publishing takes us away from Amazon to the comfort and clutter of email. Specifically, the resurgence of the mailing list as part of the the author's toolbox.
It's been a long complaint of writers that the burden of marketing their books has been thrust back upon their shoulders by publishers and distributors. Writer Gene Doucette recently described this in his mailing list email:
As this industry evolves, reaching existing readers is becoming more challenging by the day. This is a point that was driven home to me in a recent exchange with Amazon, for reasons that probably never occurred to anyone who isn't an indie author.
Some of you (perhaps many of you) follow my author page on Amazon. They provide a nice little button to click on for notification of new releases and what-not, with the problem being, from my perspective, that I don't own that list or have any way to communicate directly with anybody on it.
I never thought of this as a problem, because I've never had any issue with how Amazon uses the list. Every time I put a new book up on preorder, they eventually roll out a generic blast to my followers, and that's really all I'm looking for. Then I get a decent bump in preorders, and some social media mentions here and there. It's nice. I'm not sure that's happening any more, though. After two weeks, it doesn't appear that the email has gone out, and Amazon's only direct response to questioning implies that the program I'm talking about is invitation-only.
Which mean, either they've changed some things over there, or we're talking about two different things. It also could mean something is still going to be going out (if we are talking about two different things) and I'm just being impatient.
The larger point, though, is that since I don't own the list they've curated of my readers, I can't rely on that list to help promote my books. That isn't really anybody's fault, it's just how this works. (And also why this newsletter exists, actually, since controlling my own list is increasingly the only way forward.) It's just a shame.
By my count, about 30,000 people bought a copy of The Spaceship Next Door through Amazon over the past couple of years, and I would love to let as many of those people know about The Frequency of Aliens as possible. One of the best ways to do that has always been for Amazon to let some of them know. It appears that they may no longer agree with that.
As a result, Gene and many other writers have turned to methods they control to get announcements of sales and new books out to their fans.Thus the rise of the mailing list, where fans and customers can opt in for such announcements and stay informed on the new releases by their favorite writers.
From a reader's perspective, this is useful. Not only will the mailing list keep you from losing track of your favorite writers' new releases in the ever growing sea of novels published every day, the more aggressive marketers will often offer discounted prices on their books on a regular basis. And authors want you to find their mailing lists. Many even give away a novel for free just for signing up. Some even offer exclusive stories for members of their lists. For instance, want to read Galaxy's Edge: Tin Man? (And if you are a Galaxy's Edge fan, you do.) The Galaxy's Edge mailing list is currently the only method of obtaining that short story. Finally, writers are starting to cross-promote each other, recommending their own favorites as well as their own books.
One particular mailing list should be at the top of every science fiction fan's list: Sci-Fi Bridge. Every season, this mega-list offers four free ebooks as part of a contest for 25 ebooks, which also lets you sign up for Sci Fi Bridge and the lists of every one of the participating authors. It is a curated list of writers intended to introduce science fiction fans to quality content. And, in my opinion, they deliver. I have read many new releases from Sci-Fi Bridge-associated writers, and have found the list's recommendations and membership to be an excellent indication of a good read, just as Baen's label on a paperback used to be. (I rely on these lists when making Castalia House's New Release Roundups.) Sci-Fi Bridge has been a major contributor in making 2017 the year where indie and self-published science fiction became the mainstream. If there is just one critique I have of Sci-Fi Bridge, it is that it is difficult to see who is associated with them outside of one of their contests. Oh, and fantasy fans need not be left out. The minds behind Sci Fi Bridge have spun up a sister list just for you at Fantasy Bridge (Check out fantasybridge.com. I'd link directly, but Blogger is broken.)
It is almost certain that we will see more mega-lists as writers continue to market each other to help themselves. (Just look at how a small clique of tradpub writers dominate the discussion on many science fiction and fan sites. When asked for their recommendations, they always recommend each others' works.)
For writers who have yet to dive in, but are interested in learning the benefits of mailing lists and mega-lists from a writer's perspective, here is an interview with Jason Anspach, one of the founders of Sci Fi Bridge.
As Armando Catalano, a holy relic dealer, raids the underground tombs of 18th century Rome for the bones of martyred saints, a prince of the Church plots with a Gypsy poisoner to murder him. For Armando bears the mark of the scorpion on his shoulder, a devil's mark identifying him as the son of a heretic who was burnt alive for seducing a priest from the church and Christian beliefs. While the poisoner toys with him, Armando sets out to learn the name of the cardinal who torments him, the reason for the enmity, and the truth behind his mother's death. Along the way, he stumbles across an ancient conspiracy from the days of Rome and a plot to murder the Pope. Digging deeper, Armando, known to all as the Scorpion, discovers a stolen Vatican archive in Cardinal Trebaldi's mansion. These papers deal with his mother's trial and execution, leading Armando to believe that he is the illegitimate son of the Pope. Can the Scorpion save his presumed father from the assassin's blade?
Written by Stephen Desberg and illustrated by Enrico Marini, The Scorpion follows Armando as he seeks to unravel the conspiracy, challenge the power of Cardinal Trebaldi, and discover why his mother's execution lays at the center of both. Following in the footsteps of Zorro and Alexandre Dumas, this Scorpion is at home in high society and in the gutters, a dashing, cultured swordsman and scholar who will not rest until he brings down the men behind his mother's death--no matter how powerful they might be. The first book offered in English, The Devil's Mark, serves up the first two volumes of the Scorpion's adventures, The Devil's Mark and The Pope's Secret, taking readers from the discovery to the end of the Papal conspiracy in one sitting.
Rachel Griffin and Sigfried the Dragonslayer invite you to a Facebook Launch party for the fourth Book of Unexpected Enlightenment: THE AWFUL TRUTH ABOUT FORGETTING.
Festivities will included: games, giveaways, meet the characters, guest authors (TBA), and one Spoiler in response to reader’s questions (the person who submits the winning question will receive a set of four Unexpected Enlightenment bookplates signed by the author and illustrator.
Coming from Wisecraft Publishing, the YA Imprint of Superversive Press, the fourth Book of Unexpected Enlightenment:THE AWFUL TRUTH ABOUT FORGETTING
The launch will take place on Tuesday, November 21st on Facebook from 2:30 to 5:50. There will be games, giveaways, a video reveal of the book trailer made by Superversive’s own Ben Zwycky and lovely singer Sarah Koolbeck, and conversation with Rachel Griffin and Sigfried the Dragonslayer.
There will also be a Spoiler reveal, so get your questions in early!
