The Year is Over!

Mercedonius 1 after AUC 2760, Kalends

Well by the Orthodox Atheist calender anyway. Mercedonius is the intercalary month of five or six days that serves to keep the three-hundred and sixty day day year in alignment with the tropical (sun) year. Similar to the World Calendar popular between World War I and World War II and that was going to be adopted by the UN until a veto by the United States, it is a perpetual calender. The days of Mercedonius do not belong to either year they come between, though common practice is for them to be lumped in with the previous year.

Since Orthodox Atheism is not a majority anywhere the proposed five or six day holiday cannot take place on any large scale, but most adherents have some celebration that fits in with the Christian observance of Christmas and/or Boxing Day. Unlike most other Orthadox Atheist holidays Mercedonius is meant to be almost entirely frivolous, rather than a serious observance. Kalends, the first day, is supposed to be a day and night of masked partying similar to misrule carnivals of Europe.

Luckily I have a masquerade party to go to this year (provided I feel better by evening) so I'm able to take part in this tradition in a small way. The rest of my Mercedonius is going to be the usual celebrations on the cover of Christmas. I'm thinking a big ham with wine for Yule. Possibly pudding.

A First Book, Or Last

Mercedonius 1 before AUC 2761, Kalends

I finished reading Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner today. I read it because I picked up The Privilege of the Sword by her while I was working my way through all the winners of the major fantasy awards. I wanted to see if The Privilege of the Sword was voted the Locus Fantasy Award because people liked it or they liked her previous work. Still not sure about that, they're both very interesting books. I'm rather glad I did not read Swordspoint when it was first published in 1987. The strongly hinted at gay sex among primary characters would have scandalized me then. Now I rather appreciate it.

I do recommend reading Swordspoint first as I think my enjoyment of it was not as complete because I knew how it must come out in the end due to how things were set up at the start of The Privilege of the Sword. Either work stands on its own just fine and if a reader likes fantasy without any magic, fantasy races, or the standard heir to the king or fated farm-boy plots. Also you've got to be able to stand diverse threads of plot jumping back and forth between character points of view frequently. It all works and comes together in a satisfying way in the denouement, but can be a bit confusing. And, as I said, you can't be the sort that objects to the main characters having a homosexual relationship or (surprisingly enough) another character being a both a homosexual and a cad.

I'm thinking of buying a hardcover copy to keep.

And I am thinking of keeping track of what I read this year like so many others do in their journals. I think it might be fun.

More Reading

Last year I read The Privilege of the Sword by Ellen Kushner (Locus Fantasy) and Seeker by Jack McDevitt (Nebula).

So on my list to read are still Nova Swing by M. John Harrison (Clarke), Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge (Hugo, Locus SF), The Road by Cormac McCarthy (Pulitzer) Soldier of Sidon by Gene Wolfe (World Fantasy) Spin Control by Chris Moriarty (PKD), and Titan by Ben Bova (Campbell). Plus many, many other books.