mourn the passing

I just learned that Kage Baker died at the end of January.

Her Company novels are marvelous science fiction: intelligent, real, witty, and often doing the unexpected or pushing something just a teeny bit farther than I thought she would, or than I would have been comfortable with. She made me think, theorize, laugh, exclaim, and occasionally squirm. Her fantasy writing is equally compelling and full of delicious, sneaky humour.

A couple of my favourite things about visiting San Francisco were getting to see the places she described - much of the Company series takes place in and around there - and managing to pick up a couple of her newer books during an excellent bookstore pilgrimage with madame_meretrix, before they'd made it to my local.

She will be missed.