Blog - Page 23 of 31 - Gary David Gillen

Marcon Conference 2018

The Marcon Conference 2018 was held from May 11 to May 13, 2018, at the Hyatt Regency in Columbus, Ohio.

This is the link to the Marcon website.

Introduction

I attended the Marcon Conference 2018 on Saturday, May 12. I drove to Columbus from Cleveland in the morning. The first activities were scheduled at 10:00 AM. I arrived at 10:30 AM, registered for the day, and went to the con suite for an early lunch. Activities were spaced in 90-minute blocks. The activities generally lasted 75 minutes with a 15-minute break until the next activity. The categories of the activities were Anime, Art, Comics, Cosplay, Fan Life, Filk, Gaming, Literary, Media, Science, and Youth. I attended four panels and two game shows at the Marcon Conference 2018.

Summary

Saturday: May 12, 2018

11:30 AM – Destination Mars

The three panelists debated about how and when humans will travel to Mars. All three had different viewpoints. It will happen in the next five years, it will happen a little later when the technology improves, and manned missions are too expensive and dangerous compared to unmanned missions. They asked if the missions will be one way which will make them similar to the colonization of America. Space tourism will probably fund the way to space travel.

1:00 PM – Game of Thrones Jeopardy!

The Psi Phi Columbus Game Show Network presented this activity. The jeopardy categories were projected on a big screen and the questions were written by the organizers. I volunteered to be on the first three-person panel. The game went back and forth until I pulled ahead by 3000 points in double jeopardy. The final jeopardy question was: What way don’t you want to leave the Eyrie? We all had the correct response: What is the Moon Door? I risked 2000 points because if the second place finisher had risked none and I lost 2000 points, I would still win the game. Using that strategy, I won the panel with 13200 points. I watched the second group. I would have had a hard time winning against the second winner. It was fun. The prize that I took for participating was a Targaryen lanyard.

It’s hard to read the numbers on the picture but my name is in blue and I won.

2:30 PM – That Was the Year in Science

There were two panelists that covered the most important scientific events that happened in the past year. The bulk of the conversation was about the collision of two neutron stars that occurred on 08-17-17. Other topics included a picture of a pulse of light, Homo sapiens are believed to have appeared 300000 years ago, the use of 3-D printing of polymerized chainmail for other uses (It was originally made for the Lord of the Rings movies), a lamb born from an artificial womb, and mice and rats may be able to pass memories to their offspring.

4:00 PM – What’s Going on in Commercial Space

This presentation began as a power point presentation about the recent commercial activities in space. The premise of the talk was how the current commercial space race was similar to the plot of The Man Who Sold the Moon by Robert Heinlein published in 1950.

The current commercial space race has four major players.

SpaceX

Elon Musk is the founder and CEO of SpaceX. SpaceX uses the Falcon 9 rocket to launch satellites and to service a contract from NASA to resupply the International Space Station (ISS). The company’s next goal is to use the bigger Falcon Heavy rocket to launch the Dragon spacecraft which will carry humans to the ISS. After that, the goal is to use the even bigger BFR rocket to launch a manned mission to Mars.

Bigelow Aerospace

Robert Bigelow is the founder and president of Bigelow Aerospace. The company manufactures expandable space station modules. The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM, 16 cubic meters) was attached to the ISS in 2016 and remains operational today. The B330 (330 cubic meters, 20 times bigger than the BEAM) is projected to be launched in 2020. It could be part of the ISS or become its own space station. The company’s plan is to lease space on the module for experiments and manufacturing.

Blue Origin

Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon, is also the founder of Blue Origin. Their New Shepard rocket delivered its first payload on April 29, 2018. The bigger New Glenn rocket has enough power to put people into space with a planned launch in 2020.

Virgin Galactic

Richard Branson founded the Virgin Group which includes Virgin Galactic. The company wants to provide suborbital flights to space tourists and suborbital flights for space science missions. Test flights have been performed and paid flights are near.

The Future

Money can be made in space right now by supplying the ISS, putting satellites into orbit, and servicing those satellites. Future money making opportunities include telescopes, colonies, mining, radioactive waste storage, prisons, military bases, and garbage removal. The rest of the presentation was watching internet videos that gave different perspectives on the subject.

The whole presentation was informative and well designed.

5:30 PM – Break

I had dinner and relaxed at the con suite.

7:00 PM – Sci-Fi Wheel of Fortune

This game was presented by the Psi Phi Columbus Game Show Nexus. There were two games run before another group took the projector at 8 PM. In game one some of the puzzles were to name the power puff girls and name the teen titans. In game two there were a couple of Before and After puzzles and also name that person. I did not participate but it was fun to guess the puzzles in the audience.

8:30 PM – Writing Time Travel Sci-Fi and Doing it Right

This was a single person presentation. The presenter discussed the issues that the TV shows Timeless and Fringe had in depicting the ramifications of time travel. An example of a show that did better with the concept was the TV show 12 monkeys.

10:00 PM – Game of Thrones: Winter is Here.

I really wanted to stay and attend this panel but I could not. Sunday was Mother’s Day and I wanted to be home. I would have arrived too late if I had stayed for this panel. I returned to my car and left at 10:45 PM, arriving home at 12:30 AM.

Recommendations

My favorite activity at Marcon Conference 2018 was playing Game of Thrones Jeopardy. My stars of the con were Ken Keisel and Bob Lohman for their commitment to science. I’m glad that I made the trip to Columbus in 2018. There will be a new hotel and a new date for next year and I hope to attend the Marcon Conference in 2019.

Links

This is my recap for the SF conference Cleveland ConCoction 2018. They held it from March 9, 2018, to March 11, 2018. I attended ten activities and volunteered in the ConSuite for eight hours.

Conference Recap Cleveland ConCoction 2018

The Darknet by M. T. Bass

The Darknet by M T Bass

The Darknet by M T Bass, Murder by Munchausen Mysteries Book 2

Introduction

The Baron is back and hunting murder victims. Detectives Jack and Maddie are hunting him. Will they find him before he kills again?

Summary

In the previous book in the series, we learned that a serial killer called the Baron has been recreating past serial killer murders by using androids to commit the crimes in a near future Cleveland, Ohio. Jake the previous book’s protagonist, a detective from the Android Crime Unit (ACU), consults with Cleveland homicide detective Madeline “Maddie” on their connected cases. They had a previous romantic relationship which complicates their investigation.

As the investigation continues, more bodies appear and Maddie must discover the identity of the Baron before more victims die. The first murder in this book is witnessed by Amy who is orphaned and homeless. Maddie takes her in to protect her. Amy’s fate becomes important to the investigation. Maddie is helped by Jake, Maddie’s homicide partner Sanchez, and the members of the Android Crime Unit nicknamed the Geek Squad by Jake.

Recommendation

The events of this story follow directly after book #1. It was a jarring experience starting book #2 because Jake is the first-person narrator in book #1 and Maddie is the first-person narrator in book #2. Jake has a distinctive voice. He is snarky and has a quip for every situation. Maddie is more in the background. It took me some time to understand her voice. This book ended up being good but not as good as the first book because of the change in narrator. The descriptions of Cleveland locations continue to be well researched and believable.

This series seems to be sections of about 150 pages of a novel with a thematic climax at the end. Book #1 is 134 pages and Book #2 is 146 pages. Book #3 is called the Invisible Mind due to be released on 08-25-18 and Book #4 is called Motherless Children with a release date to be determined. I will read these sections when they are released.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Murder by Munchausen by M. T. Bass.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36564272-the-darknet

This is the link to my review of Murder by Munchausen by M. T. Bass. Cleveland, Ohio detective Jake and his partner E. C. are searching for an Android Subject (AnSub) that has committed a murder. The AnSub leads him to a serial killer.

Murder by Munchausen by M. T. Bass

Head On by John Scalzi

Head On by John Scalzi, Book #2 of the Lock In Series

Introduction

Chris Shane witnesses the death of Duane Chapman, the first player killed in the new future violent sport of Hilketa. Years ago, in our future, an epidemic called Haden’s Syndrome affected millions of people who are now unable to control their own bodies. They interact with the outside world by using autonomous robots, called threeps, which are remotely connected to their brains. Chris and Duane have Haden’s Syndrome.

Duane plays in a team sport where the threeps battle on a sports field. The object of the game is to rip the head off the designated opponent’s threep and score a goal with it. Duane’s threep was destroyed and his body should not have died but it has. Chris is an FBI agent who must find out how and why Duane died. The case goes down unexpected paths and Chris must put together the clues to find the truth or risk Chris’s own life.

Summary

Chris is non-gender specific in the novel. Chris is at the Hilketa game because Chris’s father is interested in purchasing an expansion team based in Washington, D. C. Chris’s father is a famous championship-winning former basketball player and a real estate billionaire. Chris was the poster child for Haden’s rights but now wants to just solve cases for the FBI in relative anonymity. Chris’s partner in the FBI is Leslie Vann. She is the senior partner and helps Chris investigate the case. People keep dying in the novel as Chris gets closer to the truth. The criminals destroy Chris’s threeps and eventually threaten Chris’s life.

Recommendation

I enjoyed this novel very much. It is not necessary to read the first novel first though it helps with the background material. This novel reads fast, the action does not stop, and the revelations are valid. The police procedural part of the novel holds up well. The part of the novel dealing with Chris’s self-identity and struggle with being famous is the most interesting and the most frustrating. Keeping Chris gender-neutral has eliminated any romantic relationships. Duane is a Haden married to a non-Haden, Marla. Though that relationship does not end well, I wanted to see Chris struggle with a relationship in this novel. I think this might be what the author is building toward if there is a third novel in the series. I look forward to reading more about Chris Shane if there are more novels in the series.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Head On by John Scalzi.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35018901-head-on

This is a link to my review of Lock In by John Scalzi, Book #1 of the Lock In Series. FBI agent Chris Shane cannot physically examine a murder scene because Chris has Haden’s Syndrome. Chris interacts with the world with an android.

Lock In by John Scalzi

Writing Progress Report April and May 2018

This is my Writing Progress Report April and May 2018.

Happy Birthday!!!

Writing Progress from March and April 2018

I typed the edits for Assassin in New Marl City Chapters 16, 17, 18, and 21 in March and April of 2018.

I typed chapters 13, 14, and 22 of Assassin in New Marl City in March and April of 2018.

The stories 4 Humours, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, Get to the Point, and LARP Film Noir have been submitted to magazines.

Statistics of magazine submissions for 2018 are; 0 different stories submitted a total of 0 times with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 0 rejections.

Events from March and April 2018

I attended ConCoction from March 9 to March 11, 2018, at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center 600 North Aurora Road Aurora, Ohio 44202. At the event, I volunteered for 8 hours in the Con Suite at the event. I attended the opening ceremony, 5 panels, 2 readings, 1 performance, and the closing ceremony.

This is a link to the Cleveland ConCoction website.

http://www.clevelandconcoction.org/

Writing Goals for May 2018

Type the edits for Assassin in New Marl City Chapters 24, 26, 30, 32, 33, 34, 35, and 36 in May 2018.

Type Chapters 10, 12, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 28, 29, and 31 of Assassin in New Marl City in May 2018.

Polish and submit the stories Space-Dog Confession, White Bracer, Mage Squad, I Shall Not Return, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.

Submit 4 Humours, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, and LARP Film Noir to other short fiction magazines.

Hire an editor for Searcher of Riven from Fiveer.

Hire an editor for Ruins of Yarnud from Fiveer.

Planned Events for May 2018

Attend the Pitch Perfect Workshop on May 8 and May 22. The Workshop is sponsored by Literary Cleveland. It covers how to create a pitch letter for freelance writing. I feel the workshop content is applicable to writing query letters for agent representation by fiction writers.

Attend Marcon on May 12 at the Hyatt Regency in Columbus, Ohio.

The link to the Marcon website.

http://marcon.org/

Purchase an e-book cover for Assassin in New Marl City from Fiveer.

Put the first ten chapters of Assassin in New Marl City into the writing program, Scrivener.

Work on completing a Query letter to use to find an agent for Assassin in New Marl.

Links

I wrote three blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my writing progress report for March 2018 linked below. I also wrote one blog post in April.

Writing Progress Report March 2018

The Heart of What Was Lost by Tad Williams

The Heart of What Was Lost by Tad Williams, Book #0.5 of The Last King of Osten Ard

Introduction

The Storm King has been defeated at the end of the novel To Green Angel Tower (Book #3 Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn) and the Norns, long-lived humanoids called immortals, must retreat across the hostile lands of the mortals. This is the story of the Norns retreat and the mortal army that follows them looking to destroy their race forever. Will the Norns successfully defend their last mountain fortress of Nakkiga or will they perish?

Summary

This book serves as a bridge novel from the first trilogy to a soon to be published sequel trilogy. The author tells this story from four different perspectives. Duke Isgrimnur of Elvritshalla is the leader of the army pursuing the Norns. He wants vengeance for his son Isorn who was recently killed in the war. He leads the Rimmersman who are the mortals who live the closest to the Norns. Porto is from the southern island of Perdruin and is in the mercenary part of the army tracking the retreating Norns. He wants to finish the job of defeating the Norns and return home safely.

Viyeki is a Norn who is in Order of Builders. Builders do not fight but serve the military, called the Order of Sacrifices. He wants to help secure their retreat to Nakkiga and save his people from destruction. Lady Miga is a Norn of the Order of Chroniclers who writes a scholarly retelling of the events depicted by the other three narrators. She brings perspective to the events and illustrates how legends are created from real events.

The novel is divided into five parts. Part One. The Ruined Fortress is about the Norns defense of Tangleroot Castle which is on the road to the Norn Fells, the Norn homeland in Osten Ard. Part Two. Three Ravens Tower is about the Norns stand at the tower which is part of the fortifications surrounding the Norn Fells. Part Three. The Nakkiga Gate is about the battle outside of the mountain. Part Four. The Fatal Mountain is about the resolution of the conflict. Part Five. The Long Way Back is about the aftermath of the conflict.

Recommendation

I think this is a great book and makes me want to read the second trilogy. The Witchwood Crown (Book #1 The Last King of Osten Ard Book) was released on June 27, 2017, and the second book, Empire of Grass, will be released in 2019. There is a thirty-year time jump between trilogies. I would call The Heart of What Was Lost as Book 3.5 of the first trilogy because the events follow immediately after book #3. It could be called a coda to the first trilogy since it is 197 pages long. I liked how all four narrators showed different perspectives on the conflict and each arc was a complete and interrelated story.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of The Heart of What Was Lost by Tad Williams.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28585686-the-heart-of-what-was-lost

Link to my review of Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson. Oathbringer is a fantasy novel like The Heart of What Was Lost.

Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson

Arcanum Unbounded by Brandon Sanderson

Arcanum Unbounded by Brandon Sanderson, The Cosmere Collection (The Stormlight Archive 2.5)

Introduction

Arcanum Unbounded by Brandon Sanderson is a collection that has nine stories that are part of the cosmere universe. Many of the author’s works are interrelated by an overarching plot which he calls the cosmere. The stories of the cosmere are set on a group of worlds that can be traveled to through magical means. Six stories are set on the worlds of his published novels and three stories are about worlds that have not had a novel-length story treatment. All the stories in this collection are excellent, but I will comment on each story starting with the one that I like the most.

The Emperor’s Soul Summary and Recommendation

The Emperor’s Soul is set on the planet Sel which is the setting of the novel Elantris, but the stories do not share any of the same characters. Shai is a master of the magic of soul stamps and she is called a Forger. She can use her soul stamps to rewrite the history of an object so that the object becomes the item that she wants it to become. Gaotona is an arbiter for the emperor and he has a problem where he needs a Forger to create a difficult Forgery. What he asks Shai to do will change them both. The story won the 2013 Hugo award for best novella.

Shai and Gaotona both have clear motivations and both must face an impossible decision. The story is perfectly constructed and it is no wonder that it earned an award. It is one of the three stories included in this collection that persuaded me to buy it. I had heard about this story before 2017 and was delighted that it was included in this collection.

Edgedancer Summary and Recommendation

Edgedancer is set on the planet Roshar which is the setting of the Stormlight Archive series. The story tells the story of a character named Lift. The events occur between Words of Radiance (Book #2) and Oathbringer (Book #3). Lift is a young girl who starts to display the powers of a Knight Radiant. A man who she calls Darkness is hunting her. She is protected by the Azish king but is bored. When Darkness starts hunting other potential Knights Radiant, Lift must decide to stay safe in Azir or to fight Darkness to help others like her.

Lift is a fun and whimsical character. She turns energy from food into her powers which she calls being awesome. She is always hungry and relates everything in her life to eating. I liked reading about another corner of Roshar that we haven’t seen before in this story. This long novella was only available in this collection at the time that it was released, just before Oathbringer was released. I wanted to read this story before Oathbringer came out so this was the main reason that I purchased this collection. I read this story as soon as a received the book and read the rest of the collection later. The decision to purchase it was easy because The Emperor’s Soul and Mistborn: Secret History were also in this collection They were both stories that I wanted to read.

Mistborn: Secret History Summary and Recommendation

Mistborn: Secret History is set on the planet Scadrial which is the setting for the Mistborn series. This story is set on the edges of the Mistborn trilogy. Telling any more about the plot is a major spoiler for the Mistborn series so I will not explain anything further here. This story includes references to all three books so it should be read after reading them first.

I remember almost buying the e-book for this story when it came out on January 26, 2016. When I heard about Arcanum Unbounded collection, I learned that this story was included. I decided to wait until the collection was released on November 22, 2016, and bought it on December 26, 2016.

Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell Summary and Recommendation

Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell is the only story set on the planet Threnody. The main character is a woman named Silence. She runs an inn and trading post in the middle of a haunted forest. The dangers of the forest are real, shades and an elusive bounty hunter called the White Fox. Silence must protect herself and her daughter from the dangers of the forest.

I liked the story of Silence. There were a number of twists at the end that made the story great. I remember first reading this story in the anthology called Dangerous Women. It was just as good on the second reading. I borrowed the book to read The Princess and the Queen by George R. R. Martin but was glad that I decided to read this story also.

Sixth of Dusk Summary and Recommendation

Sixth of Dusk is the only story set on the planet called First of the Sun. Dusk’s people are the caretakers of the islands in his world. He is a trapper who brings sentient bird-like creatures called Aviars for sale to a more technically advanced people. In the story, Dusk arrives at the dangerous island of Patji. Dusk’s skill is that he can visualize his many possible deaths on the island and can avoid that fate. The technologically advanced people come to the island and threaten his way of life. Dusk must discover the hidden truths about the island to drive away the invaders.

This was another very good story. Dusk was an interesting character. His inner dialogue makes him different. Some of his attitudes are based on Polynesian culture. The solution to what was going on the island was a good twist. The ending might have been too easy.

White Sand Summary and Recommendation

White Sand is the only story set on the planet Taldain. Kenton is the son of Praxton, Lord Mastrell of the sand masters. He wants to be accepted into the Diem, the group that teaches the magical art of sand mastery. Kenton is weak in the art but is accepted. He learns what he can and is ready to face a test which will determine if he can join the group as a full member or will be banished.

First, there is an excerpt from the graphic novel. It visually depicts the test well. The prologue and first chapter of the unpublished novel follows. It is interesting to compare the graphic novel and the written novel. I can see why the story is best told with a graphic novel. The plot is very visual.

Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Elantia Summary and Reccomendation

Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Elantia is set on the planet Scadrial like the other stories of the Mistborn series. Jak gives his first-person account of his adventures. The story has been transcribed and annotated by his faithful steward Handerwym. Jak must defeat the koloss, find the lost treasure of the survivor, and save the fair Elizandra.

This story reads like an adventure pulp magazine account. That was the intent and it delivers. It was used in the role-playing game supplement to the Mistborn series based on the novel Alloy of Law (Mistborn Book #4). A fun but silly read.

The Eleventh Metal Summary and Recommendation

The Eleventh Metal is set on the planet Scadrial like the other stories of the Mistborn series. Kelsier learns allomancy from his teacher Gemmel in this story set before Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn #1).

It was interesting to see how Kelsier learned his craft but the story was short. It was first published for a role-playing game based on the Mistborn trilogy.

The Hope of Elantris Summary and Recommendation

The Hope of Elantris is set on the planet Sel which is the setting of the novel Elantris. Matisse must protect the children when the Dakhor attacked Elantris.

This story clears up a question about the novel Elantris. What happened to the children when Elantris was attacked? The question was answered but that was all.

Links

Arcanum Unbounded by Brandon Sanderson.

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Arcanum Unbounded by Brandon Sanderson.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28595941-arcanum-unbounded

Link to my review of Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson. The story Edgedancer in this collection tells the story of a character named Lift. The events of the story occur between Words of Radiance, Stormlight Archive Book #2 and Oathbringer, Stormlight Archive Book #3.

Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson

My Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine Collection Update

My Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine Collection Update.

Here is my updated collection on 03-24-18.

Introduction

I made a post on the status of my Asimov’s Science Fiction Collection on February 22, 2018. At that time, I had collected 363 issues of the 420 issues released from Spring 1977 to March 2014. I have read 331 of the 363 issues. Unread issues are from February 2011 to March 2014. I decided to purchase the 57 issues that I missed and then read them all.

From February 22 to March 24, I purchased a total of 35 issues for $108.43, averaging $3.10 per issue. There are 22 issues remaining to be purchased.

In February, I bought 19 issues; 10 from Amazon.com for $25.00, 5 from mycomicshop.com for $21.25, and 4 from ebay.com for $15.74. In March, I bought 16 issues; 2 from Amazon.com for $11.88, and 14 from ebay.com for $34.56.

In the rest of this post, I will make notes for each year from 1977 to 2014.

Issues in the 1970s

1977: 4 issues printed with 3 issues at start labeled summer, fall, and winter. 1 issue remaining to purchase: Spring 1977 (issue #1).

1978: 6 issues printed with 0 issues at the start. Purchased 5 issues in February and 1 issue in March. None remaining to be purchased.

1979: 12 issues printed with 0 issues at the start. I purchased 4 issues in February. 8 issues remaining to purchase.

Issues in the 1980s

1980: 12 printed and 12 issues at the start.

1981: 13 printed and 13 issues at the start.

1982: 13 printed and 7 issues at the start. I purchased 1 issue in February. 5 issues remaining to purchase.

1983: 13 printed and 0 issues at the start. Purchased 13 issues in March. None remaining to be purchased.

1984: 13 printed and 0 issues at the start. Purchased 10 issues in February. 3 issues remaining to be purchased.

1985: 13 issues printed and 10 issues at the start. Purchased 1 issue in March. 2 issues remaining to be purchased.

1986: 13 printed and 13 issues at the start.

1987: 13 printed and 12 issues at the start. 1 issue remaining to be purchased.

1988: 13 printed and 13 issues at the start.

1989: 13 printed and 13 issues at the start.

Issues in the 1990s

1990: 13 printed and 13 issues at the start.

1991: 13 printed and 13 issues at the start.

1993: 13 printed and 13 issues at the start.

1994: 13 printed and 13 issues at the start.

1995: 13 printed and 13 issues at the start.

1996: 11 printed and 11 issues at the start.

1997: 11 printed and 11 issues at the start.

1998: 11 printed and 10 issues at the start. 1 issue remaining to be purchased.

1999: 11 printed and 11 issues at the start.

Issues in the 2000s

2000: 11 printed and 11 issues at the start.

2001: 11 printed and 11 issues at the start.

2002: 11 printed and 11 issues at the start.

2003: 11 printed and 11 issues at the start.

2004: 10 printed and 10 issues at the start.

2005: 10 printed and 10 issues at the start.

2006: 10 printed and 9 issues at the start. 1 issue remaining to be purchased.

2007: 10 printed and 10 issues at the start.

2008: 10 printed and 10 issues at the start.

2009: 10 printed and 10 issues at the start.

Issues in the 2000s

2010: 10 printed and 10 issues at the start.

2011: 10 printed and 10 issues at the start.

2012: 10 printed and 10 issues at the start.

2013: 10 printed and 10 issues at the start.

2014: 3 issues, March 2014 was the last issue in my subscription.

Conclusion

That ends my collection. I enjoyed reading the stories for many years. I will update my progress in purchasing the rest of the 420 issues in April. Later, I plan to write another post about my favorite stories that I have read in Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine.

Links

This is the link to Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine.

https://www.asimovs.com/

This is the link to my first post about my Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine collection.

My Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine Collection

Writing Progress Report March 2018

This is my Writing Progress Report March 2018.

Happy Spring!!!

Writing Progress from February 2018

Wrote Chapter 31 of Assassin in New Marl City. The First Draft is completed!!!

The stories 4 Humours, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, Get to the Point, and LARP Film Noir have been submitted to magazines.

Statistics of magazine submissions for 2018 are; 0 different stories submitted a total of 0 times with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 0 rejections.

Events from February 2018

None to Report.

Writing Goals for March 2018

Continue to work on Assassin in New Marl City. I want to expand the novel from 20 chapters to 36 chapters (98000 words total). The First Draft is completed!!!

Type the Edits for Chapters 15, 16, 18, 20, 24, 26, 30, 32, 33, 34, 35, and 36 of Assassin in New Marl City in March 2018.

Type Chapters 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19, 21, 22 23, 25, 27, 28, 29, and 31 in March 2018.

Polish and submit the stories Space-Dog Confession, White Bracer, Mage Squad, I Shall Not Return, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.

Submit 4 Humours, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, and LARP Film Noir to other short fiction magazines.

Hire an editor for Searcher of Riven from Fiveer.

Hire an editor for Ruins of Yarnud from Fiveer.

Planned Events for March 2018

Attend ConCoction from March 9 to March 11, 2018 at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center 600 North Aurora Road Aurora, Ohio 44202. I will volunteer for 8 hours in the Con Suite at the event.

This is a link to the Cleveland ConCoction website.

http://www.clevelandconcoction.org/

Purchase an e-book cover for Assassin in New Marl City from Fiveer.

Put the first ten chapters of Assassin in New Marl City into the writing program, Scrivener.

Work on completing a Query letter to use to find an agent for Assassin in New Marl.

Links

I wrote three blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my writing progress report for February 2018 linked below.

Writing Progress Report February 2018

My Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine Collection

My Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine Collection.

Here is my collection.

Introduction

I made a post on my first science fiction book on 07-28-17. That book was The Land That Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs. I believe that I received the book in 1977. I either joined the Science Fiction Book Club first and then bought the January 1980 issue of Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine or bought the magazine first and then joined the club from the offer that was printed on the back of each issue of the magazine. This post is about my 35-year history with the magazine covering from 1980 to 2014.

The summary of my experience is as follows. I purchased the January 1980 issue and started a new subscription in April 1980 that lasted until July of 1982. I did not like the direction that the new editor was taking the magazine, so I did not renew my subscription at that time. At some point, I purchased five back issues at a used bookstore. The store had back issues for 1978 and 1979 but I did not purchase them because I did not have the money at that time. I intended to go back at a later date, but when I returned the issues were gone. I wish that I had gone back earlier and had added them to my collection.

Asimov’s subscription renewal

In April 1985 I started a subscription that I continued to renew until it expired in March 2014. There were three issues that I had not received in the mail and did not obtain a copy. In 2014, I had not read the magazine for three years and didn’t intend to do so in the future so I did not renew my subscription. It was also too expensive to buy if I was not reading the issues. It took me five or six hours to read each issue and I felt like I did not have the time to read them anymore.

Now that I have made the time to read at least an hour a day, I will have the time to read the issues I have not read yet. Getting involved with goodreads.com changed my perspective on reading, but that is another post that I wrote on 06-30-17. My collection totals 363 issues of which I have read 331 issues. There were 420 issues released from Spring 1977 to March 2014, so I do not have 57 issues in that time frame. Having researched this post, I think that I will attempt to read the 32 remaining issues that I own but have not read.

Stories I have Liked

I wrote down the stories that I liked and in the order that I liked them from the first issue to the February 2003 issue. After that, I put sticky notes on each issue with my ratings from the March 2003 issue to the January 2011 issue. The unread issues are from February 2011 to March 2014.

The size of the issues changed over the years. From the first issue to the May 1998 issue the magazine was the small digest size of 5 by 7 3/8. From the June 1998 issue to the October/November 2008 issue the size was increased to 5 3/8 by 8 1/2. In the December 2008 issue, the size increased again to 5 7/8 by 8 5/8.

In the rest of this post, I will make notes for each year from 1977 to 2014.

Issues in the 1970’s

1977: 3 issues labeled summer, fall, and winter. I bought these issues for 39 cents each at a used bookstore in Parma, Ohio (I do not recall the name). The store did not have a copy of Issue #1 which would have been labeled spring. 4 issues were printed this year.

1978: 0 issues, I wish I have bought the issues I found at that used bookstore. 6 issues were printed this year

1979: 0 issues, I wish I have bought the issues I found at that used bookstore. 12 issues were printed this year.

Issues in the 1980’s

1980: 12 issues, I bought the January issue at a newsstand and started a subscription which began with the April issue. I bought the February and March issues from the Parma bookstore for 39 cents each. 12 issues were printed this year.

1981: 13 issues, the issues were dated with the day so there were two issues in August.

1982: 7 issues, the July issue was where the subscription lapsed.

1983: 0 issues

1984: 0 issues

1985: 10 issues, subscription renewed with April issue to November 1985, then renewed in December to August 1986. All the issues were labeled as having 192 pages.

1986: 13 issues, in March, renewed to August 1988.

1987: 12 issues, because I did not receive the September issue with the story by Orson Scott Card called “Carthage City”.

1988: 13 issues, May renewed to June 1990, June renewed to May 1991, and November renewed to May 1993

1989: 13 issues.

Issues in the 1990’s

1990: 13 issues, February adjustment to January 1993, August adjustment to February 1991, and November adjustment to Winter 1992. November was the first double issue with 320 pages.

1991: 13 issues, April and November were both double issues. The March issue was the last issue that was labeled 192 pages.

1992: 13 issues, August adjustment to August 1994

1993: 13 issues, I received the cover of the mid-December issue without the inside so they shipped me a copy of the issue.

1994: 13 issues, June renewal to March 1996

1995: 13 issues, December renewal to November 1997

1996: 11 issues, the mid-December issue was discontinued and the October/November issue was a double issue, so only 11 total issues were released starting in 1996.

1997: 11 issues

1998: 10 issues, the June issue was missing, which was the first issue that the size of the magazine was increased. March renewal to March 2000

1999: 11 issues

Issues in the 2000’s

2000: 11 issues, January renewal to March 2002

2001: 11 issues

2002: 11 issues, January renewal to March 2005

2003: 11 issues

2004: 10 issues, now the April/May and October/November issues are doubles which means there are only 10 total issues per year.

2005: 10 issues, February renewal to March 2008

2006: 9 issues, the September issue was missing.

2007: 10 issues

2008: 10 issues, January renewal to March 2011, The December 2008 issue was increased in size again.

2009: 10 issues

Issues in the 2010’s

2010: 10 issues, December renewal to March 2014

2011: 10 issues

2012: 10 issues

2013: 10 issues

2014: 3 issues, March 2014 was my last issue.

Conclusion

That ends my collection. I enjoyed reading the stories for many years. I plan to write another post about my favorite stories that I have read in Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine.

Links

My Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine Collection

This is the link to Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine.

https://www.asimovs.com/

This is the link to my post about The Land That Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs. It was the first science fiction book that I owned. I believe that I received the book in 1977. I either joined the Science Fiction Book Club first and then bought the January 1980 issue of Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine or bought the magazine first and then joined the club from the offer that was printed on the back of each issue of the magazine.

My First SF Book

Writing Progress Report February 2018

This is my Writing Progress Report February 2018.

Happy Valentine’s Day

Writing Progress from January 2018

Wrote Chapter 29 of Assassin in New Marl City.

The stories 4 Humours, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, Get to the Point, and LARP Film Noir have been submitted to magazines.

Statistics of magazine submissions for 2018 are; 0 different stories submitted a total of 0 times with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 0 rejections.

Events from January 2018

None to Report.

Writing Goals for February 2018

Continue to work on Assassin in New Marl City. I want to expand the novel from 20 chapters to 36 chapters (98000 words total). Write Chapter 31 of the novel this month. The First Draft will be completed!!!

Type the Edits for Chapters 15, 16, 18, 20, 24, 26, 30, 32, 33, 34, 35, and 36 of Assassin in New Marl City in March 2018.

Type Chapters 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19, 21, 22 23, 25, 27, 28, 29, and 31 in March 2018.

Polish and submit the stories Space-Dog Confession, White Bracer, Mage Squad, I Shall Not Return, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.

Submit 4 Humours, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, and LARP Film Noir to other short fiction magazines.

Hire an editor for Searcher of Riven from Fiveer.

Hire an editor for Ruins of Yarnud from Fiveer.

Planned Events for February 2018

Purchase an e-book cover for Assassin in New Marl City from Fiveer.

Put the first ten chapters of Assassin in New Marl City into the writing program, Scrivener.

Work on completing a Query letter to use to find an agent for Assassin in New Marl.

In March I plan to attend ConCoction from March 9 to March 11, 2018 at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center 600 North Aurora Road Aurora, Ohio 44202. I will volunteer for 8 hours in the Con Suite at the event.

This is a link to the Cleveland ConCoction website.

http://www.clevelandconcoction.org/

Links

I wrote two blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my writing progress report for January 2018 linked below.

Writing Progress Report January 2018 and Annual Review