From Your Blogosphere Correspondent (08/01/10)

A myriad of developments and disagreements have over the past few days made the speculative fiction blogosphere a particularly entertaining place to be. Conveniently, The Speculate Scotsman thought to round a few of the best articles up for your reading pleasure. In no particular order, then:

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  There's a debate in progress about the appropriateness of describing prose as "clunky" in literary criticism. Hal Duncan, author of Ink and Vellum, looks to have challenged Mark Charon Newton, staunch proponent of the New Weird if Nights of Villjamur is anything to judge by, to all-out internet warfare. This link will get you started.
  
  
  

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  The most recent episode of Alex Telander's podcast played host to none other than Guy Gavriel Kay, who discusses at some length the research he undertook before beginning the process of writing his forthcoming Tang-dynasty epic Under Heaven. Download or stream it from the Book Banter blog.
  
  
  

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  Joe Hill, successor to Stephen King - and not just in terms of their shared DNA - recently updated his blog with the results of an extensive Twitter Q&A session about his new novel, Horns. There should be a more thorough preview of it on the blog this week.
  
  
  

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  Here's hoping Mark Charon Newton might have something to say about James Long's recent assertion at Speculative Horizons that the New Weird genre is growing less relevant by the day. The suggestion has been the subject of some interesting discussion beginning here.
  
  
  

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  And finally, Pat from the one and only Fantasy Hotlist somehow charmed author Peter V. Brett into sharin with the internet at large an excerpt from his April sequel to The Painted Man. If you just can't wait, read it here.