Puppy Sadness Syndrome Archive

One Bright Star’s Forgotten Forebearers

Posted May 6, 2017 By John C Wright

Doris Sutherland has a surprisingly balanced and fair description of the events surrounding the Sad Puppies kerfuffle and the Hugo award, followed by several articles where she reviews all the nominees in the categories.

http://womenwriteaboutcomics.com/2016/02/03/2014-hugos-versus-2015-sad-puppies-novellas/

Since my readers did me the honor of nominating a historically high number of my works into the categories, there are more reviews of my work gathered there than you are likely to find in any other place. And, again, the criticisms are surprisingly balanced and fair.

Not entirely fair, mind you.

But a writer who forgets to be awed and grateful that any reader whatever is reading his works, especially one reading with a close enough attention to make trenchant comments about them, should forget about being a writer. I trust my remarks will be taken in the spirit they are intended, not as a criticism of a critic, which is not my place, but as a gentle reminder of forgotten books or forgotten facts which, if called to mind, would allow the candid critic to avoid unintentional unfairness.

When speaking of One Bright Star to Guide Them, Miss Sutherland has this to say:

I rather suspect that it [One Bright Star] was intended as a response to the criticism made by Philip Pullman and others that the Narnia books, particularly The Last Battle, push an infantilised worldview by equating the afterlife with childhood make-believe.

The critic here is wise enough to label her speculations as such. In fact, the original short story was written circa 1985, long before Philip Pullman gained enough fame for yours truly to be aware of him or any of his criticisms.

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Signal Boost for John Del Arroz

Posted February 11, 2017 By John C Wright
Jon Del Arroz is a Christian conservative author who has recently come under fire from the hard-left big publishing establishment in science fiction.
You can read the gory details here, but basically what happened is his neurotic publisher fired him for wearing a Trump MAGA hat in the privacy of his own home. He was blackballed from Baycon, and all this fair-weather friends and faithless fellows turned on him.
The Thought Police Left is trying to destroy his career. He is the designated Pinata for the berserk mob. Do not think it cannot happen to you. And by all means open your wallet and let some dead presidents speak against this outrage for you.
His debut novel is a space opera tie-in for the Star Realms: Deckbuilding Game, and has been hailed by left and right wing authors alike, appearing on both Mary Robinette Kowal and Vox Day’s blogs.
The book, Star Realms: Rescue Run can be found here: http://bit.ly/starrealmsnovel

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Those Whom the Gods Destroy

Posted September 15, 2016 By John C Wright

… they first drive mad.

From a puppykicker. She offers her opinion of SOMEWHITHER

Even if one considers that the Dragon Awards seem to be aimed at populist and action-packed SFF, Raising Caine or Agent of the Imperium still fit the bill much better than Somewhither, which – going by previous experience with Wright’s work – is neither action-packed nor populist and probably also very preachy.

Yes, you heard it here first. SOMEWHITHER is not action packed.

And not just preachy, mind, but very preachy. (I am hard pressed to say what the sermon in this allegedly very preachy book might be. “Stabbing is fun; determinism is not” would seem to cover it.)

And I cannot make heads or tails of what is meant here by populist. Populist is a pro-Tribune Roman political faction that opposed the pro-Senatorial Optimate faction, used often metaphorically to refer to any political appeal to the common man for the overthrow of the ruling elite. In America, the word is usually used to refer to nativists and protectionists such as the anti-Catholic Know-Nothing party of the 1850s. Anti-Catholic is the one thing the book is not: I assume she meant to say popular.

An Elementary Treatise on Determinants, With Their Application to Simultaneous Linear Equations and Algebraic Equations — going by previous experience with Charles Dodgson’s work, this is probably a fun and nonsensical phantasmagoria, filled with gentle satire and whimsy.

It is customary to read a work before holding forth an opinion about it.

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The Voice of the Dragon

Posted September 4, 2016 By John C Wright

I was very pleasantly surprised today when I got a phone call out of the blue congratulating me. I did not at first guess for what I was being congratulated, because I am an absent minded genius.

You see, just last night I put the finishing touches on DAUGHTER OF DANGER, the fourth volume in my MOTH AND COBWEB series. Volumes two and three are already on the editor’s desk, and should be published this year.

It is always nice to finish another novel. I started writing this one in June, and it took me ninety whole days to finish, including the week off I took for family vacation. Now I am eager to return to work on NOWHITHER.

But that was not what she was congratulating me on….

The Dragon Awards were given out today. Guess who won for best science fiction novel? Yup, it surprised me, too.

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From the Pen of Moshe Feder

Posted September 3, 2016 By John C Wright

Moshe Feder was my editor, and my wife’s editor, who decided to libel and campaign against me during the Sad Puppies Hugo kerfuffle. Here he comes to a startling realization, and, even more startling, he is willing to admit it. I am deeply impressed and pleasantly surprised. This sounds like something a professional would say, not a partisan.

He writes this:

I heard nothing about this at the con and I’m upset to hear about it now.

Lise has been preaching to me for some time about the growing threat to free thought and free speech from the left — our own side! — as she saw it tragically happening at Wiscon, once one of the best cons in the country and a shining example of fannish progressivism. Not only was she right, but now it appears the blight has spread to Worldcon.

Extracted from the comment thread of Darrell’s post, the following sums up my position on this matter:

“This is VERY disturbing. Speech suppression from the left is just as wrong as any other kind and utterly in conflict with the ideals and traditions of fandom.

“Worldcon should never be in the position of enforcing political correctness. The Ministry of Truth belongs in Orwell’s great SF novel, not in SF’s fandom. Thought-crime has no place in a democratic society, let alone in fandom’s benevolent anarchy. SF/Fantasy are about the limitless universe of imagination, not the setting of arbitrary limits.

“I don’t know Truesdale [though we are FB friends] and have no idea of his interests or agenda. I don’t even know what that panel was about. It doesn’t matter. His rights need to be supported and Mac 2’s action condemned. Anything else is an admission that the Puppies were right about us.”

Unless the true reason for the ejection was something else and better justified, I will be very disappointed if the con doesn’t offer Truesdale, and fandom as a whole, a very public and abject apology for such an ill-advised, egregious, and shameful action.

Sadly, the majority of the reactions here to this post and in similar discussions elsewhere appears to demonstrate that the Puppies were right about us in this respect. I find that horrifying.

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SOULDANCER available free today, tomorrow

Posted August 26, 2016 By John C Wright

A letter from an ally

Dear Mr. Wright;

You are surely aware of this year’s Hugo results at the time of this writing. Though small compared to the outrage committed against Dr. Pournelle, the Worldcon clique chose to insult the readers who nominated me for the Campbell by publicly contradicting their judgment that I am worthy of consideration for the award.

As you may also be aware, my book SOULDANCER has been nominated for Best Horror Novel at the inaugural Dragon Awards. I do not take insults against my person from ageing pedophile apologists to heart. However, the cretins have made the grave error of mocking the readers who are my patrons and lords.

To avenge my sovereign readers’ honor upon the CHORFs, I intend to rise from last place in the Hugos to win the Dragon, and dedicate the victory to my slighted fans. Pursuant to this design, I am offering the Kindle version of SOULDANCER for free, ending this Saturday. I would greatly appreciate it if you would be willing to help spread word of this promotion.

here’s the Amazon link:

https://www.amazon.com/Souldancer-Soul-Cycle-Book-2-ebook/dp/B01BM1SX3Q/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Brian Niemeier

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Larry Correia Reminds You to Vote

Posted August 26, 2016 By John C Wright

I read this announcement at the Monster Hunter Nation website, and wanted to pass it along. Vote for SOMEWHITHER, or I will George RR Martinize your favorite characters!

The voting for the Dragon Awards closes at the end of the month. Please spread the word and tell your friends. The Dragons are open to all fans, don’t cost anything, and they want as many fans as possible participating.
I would love for the first annual Dragon to have more fans voting in it than the Hugos.

Once you register herehttp://application.dragoncon.org/dc_fan_awards_signup.php they will email you your ballot. They send these out in batches, so make sure you give yourself time. If you registered, but not gotten your voting email yet, it might be stuck in your spam folder. It is from dcawards at dragoncon.

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The Morlock Morlocks More

Posted August 21, 2016 By John C Wright

It is a pleasure to be alive during the last days of Social Justice Fandom. These creatures, by and large, are old, sickly and obese, and playing little more than a delaying game against time, hoping that the friendly press will keep the buying public in ignorance, deceived by hoopla, one year more, one month, one day, one hour.

However, anyone can read ‘Cat Pictures Please’ by Naomi Kritzer and compare it with ‘The Star’ by Arthur C. Clarke, with ‘Or All the Seas with Oysters’ by Avram Davidson, ‘Flowers for Algernon’ by Daniel Keyes, ‘The Dragon Masters’ by Jack Vance, ‘No Truce with Kings’ by Poul Anderson.

Likewise, anyone can read Alfred Bester’s THE DEMOLISHED MAN or Robert Heinlein’s HAVE SPACE SUIT WILL TRAVEL, or Roger Zelazny’s LORD OF LIGHT and compare it to what is winning these days. If you notice the modern works have a certain political and philosophical bent, and all the same message, this is not a coincidence. 

Anyone, that is, who has the sense to read what he is reading. Some lack the talent. They can only see before them what their fevered imaginations present, and make judgments before inspecting evidence, not after, so as to be unbiased by facts.

Once such is Damien Walter of the Guardian, who holds forth his opinion about the Hugo Awards: https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2016/aug/20/hugo-awards-reading-the-sad-puppies-pets 

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Hugo Awards for 2016

Posted August 21, 2016 By John C Wright

The results are now in! This is what is being held up as the best science fiction of the year. Sic Transit Gloria Hugo.

The Fifth Season
N. K. Jemisin
Best Novel
Cat Pictures Please
Naomi Kritzer
Best Short Story
Folding Beijing
Hao Jingfang
Best Novelette
Binti
Nnedi Okorafor
Best Novella
Uncanny Magazine
Lynne M. Thomas, Michi Trota, Steven Schapansky, …
Best Semiprozine
The Sandman: Overture Deluxe Edition
Neil Gaiman, J. H. Williams III
Best Graphic Story
Mike Glyer
Best Fan Writer
Jessica Jones
Melissa Rosenberg, Scott Reynolds, Michael Rymer, …
Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form
Abigail Larson
Best Professional Artist
The Martian
Ridley Scott, Drew Goddard
Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form
File 770
Mike Glyer
Best Fanzine
Steve Stiles
Best Fan Artist
Ellen Datlow
Best Editor, Short Form
Sheila E. Gilbert
Best Editor, Long Form
While not official a Hugo award, the award for new writer, the Campbell, was given to Andy Weir for The Martian.

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It is Darker Than You Think

Posted August 20, 2016 By John C Wright

Dave Truesdale, the editor of Tangent Online, was asked to moderate a panel on the state of short science fiction at MidAmericaCon II. He took the opportunity to introduce the topic of how political correctness is destroying the market, a topic that is no more controversial that talking about the hot weather in August. He attempted to read posthumous remarks written by the famed and well beloved editor at Tor book, David Hartwell, whose memory the fandom reveres and opinions all serious writers in the field respects.

Serious is not the term for a malignant strain of leftism called Social Justice Warriors. A member of the panel turned his chair to face backward, so as to show his disapproval of any criticism of political correctness. Audience members started shouting and carrying on. Mr. Truesdale was not able to proceed.

Instead of asking the disruptive members to leave, MidAmericaCon II expelled Dave Truesdale, on the grounds that his remarks caused discomfort and allergic reactions to badthink among the Morlock.

https://voxday.blogspot.com/2016/08/truesdale-expelled-from-worldcon.html

Vox Day reports that even hardcore SF-SJWs such as Jim Hines and Charles Stross are taken aback by the partisan injustice.

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Dragoncon and Worldcon

Posted August 17, 2016 By John C Wright

Here are some photos from Dragoncon, home of the Dragon Award for Excellence in Science Fiction. It is an award based on fan votes. My book SOMEWITHER is up for an award this years, and I am soliciting your vote. If you are unable to read the book in time to vote, I will read it for you, and call you on the phone to summarize it to you.

dc01

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Grandson of the Black Sword

Posted August 14, 2016 By John C Wright

Certain readers said my links to this column are bad. I reprint all columns o this topic here in honor of the upcoming Dragon Award, in hope of garnering votes for Mr. Correia. 

***

Review of Chapter 1-15 of SON OF THE BLACK SWORD

This is not a book review, because I have not finished reading the book yet. I am only on Chapter 15.

But I promised myself to write a blog post praising this book, because I think it is one of Larry Correia’s best, and I found out to my chagrin that he wrote a post praising my work, and so now my sense of fairness is unbalanced: he is not allowed to give me compliments I do not merit while I am silent about compliments he does.

I’ve talked to the man and like him, so take that into account when reading my non-review. This is both fanboy gushing and a friend saluting a friend, and yet, since in my own way I am as iron-hearted in justice as the hard-souled hero from this book, I speak only truth, and only what is due.

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Larry!

Posted August 11, 2016 By John C Wright

He says what needs saying. Take heed:

http://monsterhunternation.com/2016/08/08/fisking-the-latest-diversity-in-sci-fi-freak-out/

 

Editors, understand your target market, then buy stories you think your audience will like enough so they will continue to give you money for them.

Authors, write the best stories you can and try to sell them. Be professional. Keep improving. Repeat.  

My comment: imagine the shoe was on the other foot, and this diversity freak out were instead an article about how Christian virtues, values, and ideals were insufficiently hammered across the heads of the vile pagan infidels and Philistines whom it is our sad duty to teach our enlightenment. Do you think our friends on the Progressive side of the Force would welcome such a message with cool aplomb? Or would they take such a manifesto as a declaration of war?

More to the point, would they not see it as a declaration that we are missionaries sent to preach, not writers paid to entertain?

I am willing to preach my opinions. I do it free of charge, right here, right now. But if I take money from a customer, I am morally obliged to give him the goods for which he paid, not to swap the story he bought for the sermon I decided was for his own good.

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Rabid Puppies Strike Back!

Posted July 20, 2016 By John C Wright

I don’t have any works of my own up for a Hugo this year, but I urge all fans of non-Morlock science fiction to bestir themselves and vote.

The Evil Legion of Evil Authors has declared war on the Morlocks. Our Dark Lord, Vox Day of the Infinite Evil, helpfully posts his voting preferences.

Question: Must I vote exactly as the Dark Lord indicates?

Answer: Participation is voluntary, unless you have sold your soul and lost all capacity for free will by the painful implantation of a cybernetic brain-consumption cortex-worm (which, of course, as Grand Inquisitor, I wholly recommend).

Pre-formatted forms for soul-selling are available on sublevel 3 of the volcano island base of Darkstormhold, the office of Metaphysical Absorption and Abnegation next to the Haunted Chapel.

Merely approach the portal and speak into the Discontinuity in a loud, clear voice.

Avoid colloquial expressions, ambiguity, rhetorical questions, cant. Such things enrage the Otherlings. Use the sterilized meat cleaver if your terms require somatic payment.

Do not touch any physical objects seen to emerge from the Discontinuity! These are aportations, and qualified personnel will deal with them.

The macroscopic life forms will reply through the vocal cords of the Saracen’s Head mounted above the window.  Speak the words of the binding written in ebon on the plaque, and insert your head in the unit.

The process is painless for us, and the side effects are permanent and highly disquieting.

Or, for your convenience, you could simply vote in the Hugo Awards with the Rabid Puppies. The long term effects on this area of spacetime are the same.

For myself, I will be voting in perfect lockstep with the Dark Lord, as this is the rational response to the ghastly condition to which the Puppy Kickers brought the once-respected Hugos last year.

So, yes, I will also be voting for Chuck Tingle and My Little Ponies. His is a name worthy of what this award has become.

My second reason for so voting is that if I attempt counter-regulationary thought, the cortex-worm clamps energetically on my Lobe of Volitional Excruciation, inducing vehement spasms.

Except the semiprozine vote: there I am voting for Sci Phi Magazine. I am puzzled that Vox Day did not recommend it, and he has not publicly said why. Hmph.

Less than two weeks to vote remain, so if you’re already registered, do not fail, please, to send in your ballot.

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An Essay on the Decline of Science Fiction

Posted May 26, 2016 By John C Wright

A reader opined that the motives of the SJWs were the quite understandable indignation at the injustice of judging someone on the basis of qualities, like race, which he could not change.

I was at a loss, because I did not have ready to hand a list of quotes and excerpts to show that this is precisely the opposite of what SJWs believe.

Fortunately, one James May, and man with a stomach more iron than mine, has waded through the mental cesspits of these freakish malcontents, and collected choice tidbits.

http://www.jamesmaystock.com/essays/Pages/DeathofSF.html

http://www.jamesmaystock.com/essays/Pages/DeathofSF2.html

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