The only other thing I’ve read of his is This is How You Lose the Time War, written in collaboration with Amal el-Mohtar — which of course, I loved (as I’ve mentioned previously). And I see that a couple of his ebooks are on sale for 2.99, so I’m grabbing one of those.
I’m a little behind in my New Decameron reading; Heather Rose Jones‘ contribution, “All is Silence” is already up; and at some point today the next tale will pop up– By Robert Silverberg! And it’s one I’ve never read before: “The Trouble With Sempoanga.”
Honestly, aren’t you tired of looking at Netflix? Read something!
(Contribute if you choose to; but if not, it’s free to read.)
Because my Decameron contribution needed to be something never previously published — and that also applies to excerpts posted on blogs. And while there are bits from Volume 5 that make good excerpts, and are reasonably comprehensible without the full story, and do not contain too many spoilers — well, I’ve posted most of ’em here. It’s my habit, when I do a live reading, to later share what I’ve read with people who were not able to attend the reading; and I do that by putting it here.
But although I have read the opening of The City in the Crags live before, I somehow never posted it. Therefore: technically unpublished.
So, there it is, for your self-isolation diversion.
Oh, and don’t forget that Jo Walton has created lead-ins for each of the Decameron tales; and that the lead-in is located at the end of the previous tale. So, you should read Leah Bobet’s story to hear the lead-in to mine; and read Jo Walton’s piece of Or As You Will to hear how she moves into Leah’s story, as well as the opening of the whole frame-story. And a the end of my bit today, you’ll find a lead-in for tomorrow’s tale: Max Gladstone’s “Stop Motion”…
If some of you are hesitant about checking out the diverting stories and exerpts avalable on the Decameron Project’s Patreon site… here’s a thing you should know…
You can read them for free.
Yes, FREE, I said.
Even though it’s set up as subscriber-based, thestories are actually being made available to all.
Because, hey: we need it! Hanging around at home, responsibly social-distancing — we all deserve a reward for that, right?
If you don’t have the bucks, you’re not excluded. (If you do, please consider contributing.)
You need to start at the bottom, because entries are posted blog-style, with the newest at the top.
Jo Walton is writing the frame story, which introduces each tale; followed by her own tale, the first up. (It’s one that I heard her read live, and it had me misty-eyed…) That went up yesterday.
Today’s entry is Leah Bobet’s “One Hundred Tasks for Bones.” ( Which I’ll be reading as soon as I finish this blog post, and um, do some chores. Yeah, that’ll be my reward.)
My entry is being posted tomorrow. It’s the beginning of Volume 6, The City in the Crags.
If you do decide to become a patron of the project (that being what Patreon is all about, really), here’s something else: you can limit your contribution. We encourage you subscribe per-entry, but if that’s too much, you can set a cap on what you pay and you still can access all the stories.
You’ve heard of The Decameron, right? Giovanni Boccacio’s Decameron?
You know, the classic.
Wherein a group of friends have basically self-quarantined, and decide to pass the time by telling each other stories? That Decameron?
Yeah, okay. I didn’t read it, either. But hey, I’m erudite! I’ve read about it. And I also read part of it. And it’s still sitting in my Kindle library, waiting for me to come back to it…
Apparently certain persons in authority (who shall remain nameless here, lest I burst into a spittle-flinging hissy-fit) have finally realized that it might actually be a good idea to pay attention to science. Because, you know, pandemic. And now a national emergency is in effect.
Well, excellent. Wash your hands (soap works on viruses for extra-cool chemical reasons). And use hand sanitizer if you’ve got it (60% alcohol at least).
And, you know, stay away from crowds… Well, that part is easy for me.
Sure, I go to the office five days a week, and sometimes more. But my office staff consists entirely of Me.
As a writer, I don’t get walk-in business. It’s not a storefront. All the people who need to communicate with me are already on the other side of a big fat wall of technology: phones, email, internet, Skype.
And if you buy my paperbacks, those books never even touched my hands, at least — unless you want an autographed copy. Maybe you should wait a bit on that… And should you choose to buy an ebook, well, that hasn’t touched anybody’s hands, ever, and actually never will!
As for the building where my office is located: I’m on the top floor, where there are 14 offices, of which only 4 currently have any occupants. And we’re not chummy, we don’t hang out with each other. Plus, the staircase that I use accesses only the third floor, neatly bypassing the entirely legitimate and completely therapeutic massage business located on the second floor.
And on top of all that: my hours here tend to be from 3PM to 3AM. So… not a lot of overlap with the other 3rd floor residents.
Well, except for the artist who moved in right across the hall from me. His hours are inexplicable, and sometimes he’s here even later than I am — but again, we never visit each other, and I’ve actually only seen him twice. On a daily basis, he basically consists of a door that slams, and occasionally the sound of a radio. We’re off in our own worlds, really.
So… I figure I’m in good shape, here.
It might be less easy for you — but just be sensible, do the things, stay safe.
And should you desperately need some communal activity, try following the example of these folks on lockdown in Siena:
Rosemary Kirstein is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com
