Peter Kazmaier

My book, The Halcyon Dislocation was reviewed by Lloyd Rang in the July issue of Faith Today.

One of the nice things he said had to do with the plausibility of the science behind the plot. That was particularly gratifying since it was one of the things I worked hard to achieve. Here is what Rang said:

Reprinted with the gracious permission of FAITH TODAY

Notable Quote:

For his first novel, Kazmaier does well at quickly getting the plot in motion and describing the new world. The science makes good reading, too – perhaps no surprise, since Kazmaier is a working and teaching scientist. He makes dimension and time travel appear plausible and comprehensible. (No mean feat – the writers of the TV show Lost could’ve used his help.)

Lloyd Rang also gave some helpful advice about making the secondary characters more three dimensional which I will take to heart. If you want to peruse the review in its entirety, keep reading.

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Robert J. Sawyer is arguably Canada’s best known Science Fiction author and has achieved significant international  recognition as a Hugo Award winner and through the recent debut of his novel FlashForward on television. Given his stature in the field of Science Fiction, his blog entitled “Are the Days of the Full-Time Novelist Numbered?” is of particular interest to all of us who follow Science Fiction and Fantasy literature. Sawyer begins his blog by alluding to an invited lecture he gave  to the Canadian Book Summit:

I started by recounting how, a few months ago, I’d had fellow science-fiction writers Robert Charles Wilson and James Alan Gardner over for pizza; at that dinner, I’d told Bob and Jim that I feared there was only a decade left in which anyone could make a comfortable living writing science-fiction novels, and urged them to plan their careers and finances accordingly.

If someone with Robert Sawyer’s achievements  makes this observation, then one ought to listen. Are the days of the full-time novelist numbered? What does this mean for novelists who are just starting out (like me)?

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Zimbabwe is a country that has suffered from political turmoil, financial and agricultural devastation, and a huge humanitarian calamity because of AIDS. There are many families in Zimbabwe where a child is the supposed bread winner for his younger siblings. Zanele is an organization that has taken positive steps to help alleviate this monstrous problem. The organization has adopted two villages (Nheme Village (Zaka District, Masvingo Province) and the Makwokwe Village (Gwanda District, Matabeleland Province)) and services the needs of orphans in those villages – a small but tangible step to help with a gigantic problem.

This Saturday at 6:30 pm (March 27, 2010)  Zanele Poverty Relief Effort (ZPRE) is sponsoring a dinner/dance in Concord, Ontario (near Toronto) to raise money for this effort. Here are the details.

ZPRE’s 3rd Annual Dinner Dance will be held at at Le Parc, Concord on March 27, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. Le Parc is located at 20 North Rivermede Rd, Concord (Vaughan) and the tickets are $65.00 per person. Funds raised will support ZPRE’s programs in Zimbabwe.

As part of the fundraising effort at the event  The Halcyon Dislocation will be selling at the regular price with 50% of the proceeds going to Zanele. So if you are able to help out by attending this dinner and dance I’d be grateful. If you could also buy a book that would be even better.

Thanks for reading,

Peter

http://peterkazmaier.com/

The Halcyon Dislocation has been thoughtfully reviewed by  Curious Presbyterian. Here is one of his quotes that summarizes the review.

‘This novel deals with important issues for older teens and undergrads. The Christian message is clear and unambiguous, and the author avoids anything graphic or explicit. Though a bit rough around the edges, with too much “show” and not enough “tell”, it is well enough written to be recommended to those who enjoy science fiction.’

Thanks for reading,

Peter

http://peterkazmaier.com/

Later tonight we’ll find out if Avatar is selected by the Motion Picture Academy for the award of Best Picture. I had a chance to see Avatar in 3D a few weeks ago and I would love to see it again in the IMAX format (although the IMAX versions still seems to be sold out in my area). So what did I think of the movie and should it be selected as Best Picture? (continue reading…)

A friend of mine pointed out to me an amazing video on Youtube that demonstrated the remarkable memory ability of trained chimpanzees to replicate a sequence of numbers that they have seen only for a very short time. Apparently even humans who are gifted with an excellent memory cannot match the speed that these trained chimps display in remembering and keying in a sequence of numbers on a monitor.

So how human are chimps? (continue reading…)

The Halcyon Dislocation was reviewed by Lisa Hall-Wilson in Maranatha News. Here is a quote …

“I was drawn in by the author’s vivid descriptions and imagination in this new world that is Middle Earth-like.”

Anyone who compares my work (even in a small with way) to that monumental masterpiece by J.R.R. Tolkien, brings great joy to this author’s heart!

Thanks for reading.

~Peter

When I was an undergraduate, I was told by a fellow student who knew that I was a Christian that a Professor of mine had said to this student that he (the Professor) did not really believe one could be a researcher in science and a Christian. Now do not misunderstand me. I am not writing to show another example of “anti-Christian bias,” but rather the contrary. I believe the Professor in question, if this hearsay is accurate, was expressing a personal conviction. (continue reading…)

Why do so many people read Science Fiction? Why do so many more watch movies with Science Fiction themes. This was discussed on a TV Special called Listen Up TV on Global Television yesterday. You can also see it online .

One of the key conclusions was that Science Fiction encourages a sense of wonder and even of hope.

At the end of the special, I had the privilege of being interviewed by Lorna Dueck about The Halcyon Dislocation and my motivation for writing it.

Thanks for reading,

~Peter

Links to other Science Fiction Blogs cited in this episode:

• Gabriel McGee – SF Gospel Blog
• John C. Wright – John C. Wright’s  Live Journal
• Robert Sawyer – Robert Sawyer’s SF Blog

THE HALCYON DISLOCATION was reviewed by "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind " and given 4 out of 5 stars.

…The universe that the author creates is one that I can only best compare to Tolkien’s epic tales (and I’m not saying that because I know him and he’s likely to read this review, it’s completely true). It’s often a tall task for any author to portray a simple world around it’s main character, but in Tolkien fashion, Peter Kazmaier creates a vivid universe filled with multiple cultures, philosophies, character-types, and story-lines, all handled with care representative of someone who truly understands and loves the characters and universe that they have created.

I give this novel 4 out of 5 stars, and highly recommend it. It can be found for purchase online through the following web link: THE HALCYON DISLOCATION