#esther friesner

[caeric-arclight]

[goingrampant]

One of the specific tones to AI prose is a sort of cutesy self-deprecating humor with whimsical notes. You're probably loosely aware of it as an AI thing. That is the writing style of Esther Friesner, a prolific '90s genre comedy writer. You probably don't know her by name, but OpenAI trained ChatGPT on her illegally acquired bibliography, and now her writing style is ubiquitous as an AI style.

[book0ftheday]

Chicks in Chainmail edited by Esther Friesner, cover art by Larry Elmore, published 1995.

Publisher's Note: The Publisher wishes it known that the title for this volume was chosen by the editor and not by him. As a sensitive New Age Guy in good standing it would simply never occur to him to propose such a title, and he was shocked-shocked-that it did to others.

[datascatvislorturlough]

Worf regards hamsters as mighty warriors not to be messed with. Alexander's bit him once.

Respect to (all) the mighty warriors of the Rozhenko family!

[onebluebookworm]

May 2023 Book Club Picks

Death and the Librarian and Other Stories by Esther Friesner: A mother trying to nurse her sick son finds that his illness allows him to influence reality. A woman celebrates a very important birthday. A mother and daughter move to a new town, only to discover the fantastical secret ingredients being used at the local diner. All this and more in this collection of short stories which range from the hilarious, to the horrifying, to the heartwarming.

Penelope Goes to Portsmouth by Marion Chesney: Hannah Pym is heading for Portsmouth, and along for the ride is her next matchmaking challenge - Miss Penelope Wilkins, the practical, no-nonsense daughter of a wealthy merchant, and Lord Augustus Railton, a rakish ne'er-do-well. When the traveling companions are roped into an intriguing mystery involving a kidnapped footman, Hannah sees it as the perfect opportunity to bring the chasm between the potential lovers.

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski: Johnny Truant is a unmotivated slacker whose biggest concern is his next one night stand. All that changes when he and his friend Lude explore the apartment of Zampano, a recently deceased blind recluse. In the old man's apartment, they find writing - pages and pages of it, on every blank surface - and scratches on the floor. Gathering up the pieces, Johnny realizes the writing comes together as a dissertation about the critically acclaimed documentary The Navidson Record, which follows the Navidson family as they realize their house is bigger inside than it is outside. And then they discover the hallway...

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller: Willy Loman has been a salesman for thirty-four years, and wants nothing more than to make it big. But at age sixty, Willy is finally cast aside by the company, and must face reality without a dream to keep him afloat. As he watches his sons struggle to follow in his footsteps, Willy is faced with one burning question - is this all worth it?

Watchmen by Alan Moore: The time is 1985, and the world inches closer to WWIII every day. Costumed superheros once proliferated the scene to maintain truth, justice, and the American way, but have since been outlawed, forced into retirement, gangpressed into working for the government, or operating illegally. When one government-sponsored hero, the Comedian, is murdered in his apartment, fellow vigilante Rorschach enlists the help of his former colleagues to figure who and why the Comedian was killed.

[the-final-sentence]

Or will they only stare at what we tore from him in trophy and in trade for one tiny, wrinkled, scarlet boot?

Esther Friesner, from “Puss”

[fitsofgloom]

On The Knightshift

[annabethisterrified]

The truth steps aside for a good story.

Nobody's Princess by Esther Friesner