Ansible 265 [long]
ANSIBLE 265
AUGUST 2009
From DAVE LANGFORD, 94 London Road, Reading, Berks, RG1 5AU. Web
news.ansible.co.uk. Fax 0705 080 1534. ISSN 0265-9816 (print) 1740-942X
(e). Available for SAE or netiglluk ende firseiglie blears.
[NET NOTE. See http://news.ansible.co.uk/a265.html for the nice HTML
version. Mailing list subscribe/unsubscribe information appears below --
please don't send such requests to my own e-mail address. DRL]
### NOT THIS AUGUST ###
GREG EGAN has been misrepresented: 'Powered only by two self-evident
memes -- (a) that only one person in 20 million could possibly have a
name as exotic as "Greg Egan", and (b) anything found on the web is true
and should be copied without question -- photographs of an illustrious
professor of electrical engineering from Monash University have been
popping up on obscure fannish web sites recently, next to articles about
my books. I thought this harmless replicator would soon burn itself out,
but little did I know: it turns out that as far back as 2006, it had
already crossed into a new host and infected the dust jacket of a Spanish
translation of _Axiomatic_. I'm now dreading the day my passport's
biometric chip succumbs, and I'm arrested at the airport for identity
theft. Several family members have already hinted that they suspect I'm
an impostor, since I lack the beard and other distinguishing features of
the official, Web 2.0-approved Greg Egan.'
JUSTINE LARBALESTIER got a traditional whitewash treatment from
Bloomsbury, with the short-haired black protagonist of her novel _Liar_
shown on the cover as long-tressed and white. Er um, said Bloomsbury, the
character's a compulsive liar, might be lying about her appearance, and
(presumably) even deceived the author.... (_PW_, 23 July) [AIP]
SAM J. LUNDWALL is even more retiring than before: 'Just a little final
notice: I am folding my sf magazine _Jules Verne-Magasinet_ in October
this year with No. 542, after 38 years of publication. (53 if counting
_Science Fiction Nytt_, which for the past 30 years or so has been a part
of _JVM_) Much too few readers, and I am losing my eyesight. I still
enjoy esseff (although not the yankee scifi or syfy sort), and I intend
to continue doing so as best as I can. But as of October I am leaving the
esseff field and the esseff community completely. (I have already left
most of it, so there won't be a very big change.)'
PHILIP PULLMAN, Quentin Blake and other children's authors are incensed
by the UK Home Office's 'guilty until proven innocent' policy which
requires them to pay Pounds64 to be vetted and found free of all trace
of paedophilia before the hideous risk of allowing them to give a talk
to, say, 40 children in the presence of teachers. Because, you know, in
such inflamed surroundings authors notoriously run amok. Rather than
submit to a policy so 'corrosive and poisonous to every kind of healthy
social interaction', Pullman & Co. intend to give up visiting schools.
Meanwhile clowns, conjurors and other children's entertainers who
_already_ pay for rigorous Criminal Records Bureau vetting will have to
cough up again for the new scheme because ... well, just because.
### CONJECT ###
3-31 Aug [] ALBA AD ASTRA, Transreal Fiction, 7 Cowgatehead, The
Grassmarket, Edinburgh, EH1 1JY. Free exhibition by Madeleine Shepherd,
'revealing Scotland's forgotten history of space exploration'.
6-10 Aug [] ANTICIPATION (67th Worldcon), Palais des congres de Montreal,
Montreal, Canada. _Advance booking closed._ At-the-door rates:
$CA275/$US250; child $CA80/$US70. Weekend (Fri evening to Sun) $CA195/
$US175; child $CA60/$US55. Family (2 adults, 2 children 6-13)
$CA600/$US540; weekend $CA425/$US380. Day: see website. Contact PO Box
105, Station NDG, Montreal, QC, H4A 3P4, Canada.
14-16 Aug [] PHANTASMAGORIA (genre film festival), Arts Centre, 6 Devizes
Rd, Swindon, SN1 4BJ. Pounds35 reg, or Pounds20/day, or Pounds4.50/film.
Bookings www.phantasma-goria.co.uk or 01793 614837.
15-16 Aug [] CAPTION (small-press comics), East Oxford Community Centre,
corner of Princes St & Cowley Rd. Pounds10 reg; Pounds5 day.
21-23 Aug [] WADFEST (Discworld), Trentfield Farm Camp Site, Church
Laneham, Retford, Notts, DN22 0NJ. Campers Pounds20 (2 nights), visitors
Pounds10 (daytime only), kids free with adults. Contact 35 Crane Ley Rd,
Groby, Leics, LE6 0FD, or www.wadfest.co.uk.
26 Aug [] BSFA OPEN MEETING, The Antelope, 22 Eaton Terrace, London, SW1W
8EZ. 6pm on; fans present from 5pm. With Ian Watson.
27-31 Aug [] FRIGHTFEST (film), Empire Cinema, Leicester Square, London.
Tickets Pounds140; or day rates. Bookings: www.frightfest.co.uk.
11-13 Sep [] THE ASYLUM (steampunk), Lincoln. _Now Pounds39 reg_ or
various day rates; there will probably be no memberships available at the
door. Online booking (Pounds1 surcharge): steampunk.synthasite.com.
11-13 Sep [] REUNION 7 (media), De Vere Staverton Park, Daventry. Advance
tickets Pounds87 standard, Pounds120 priority, plus usual day and child
rates (all may rise at the door). Bookings: www.sfball.com/reunion/.
25-27 Sep [] OXONMOOT (Tolkien Society), Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford.
Pounds40.50 reg; members Pounds35.50; discount for under-16s. _Advance
booking closes 4 September._ Contact 29 Tockley Rd, Burham, Bucks, SL1
7DQ; bookings at tolkiensociety dot org; www.oxonmoot.org.
26 Sep [] BRISTOLCON (sf) & BROWNCOAT CEILIDH (_Firefly_), Mercure
Holland House Hotel, Redcliffe Hill, Bristol, BS1 6SQ. General sf mini-
con 2:30-5:30pm, with GoH Alastair Reynolds; music, dances etc 5:30pm-
1am. Tickets Pounds20 to Kumara Conventions, c/o 5 Manor House Rd,
Glastonbury, Somerset, BA6 9DE. See also www.bristolcon.org.
10-11 Oct [] OCTOCON 2009, Camden Court Hotel, Camden St, Dublin 2.
Membership rates announced: Euro30 reg, Euro20 under-18s/students,
Euro10 supp. Contact c/o Apt 56 Shalimar, Monastery Road, Clondalkin,
Dublin 22. Ireland; or octocon2009 at gmail com.
6-9 Nov [] IDWCON 09 (first Irish Discworld con), Falls Hotel,
Ennistymon, Co. Clare, Ireland. GoH Terry Pratchett. _Rates from 1
August:_ Euro40 reg, Euro32 under-18s/students, Euro15 supp/junior (7-
12), under-7s free. Contact Church Rd, Tulla, Co. Clare; or idwcon.org.
20-22 Nov [] WEXWORLDS (sf/fantasy festival), Wexford, Ireland. With Eoin
Colfer. Some 25 events in Arts Centre, Library, hotels etc; most free (3
workshops cost Euro5). Contact: info at WexWorlds dot net.
5-6 Feb 10 [] _SFX_ WEEKENDER, Pontin's Holiday Park, Camber Sands, East
Sussex. With John Barrowman, Paul Cornell, James Marsters, China
Mieville, Robert Rankin, more TBA. Charging is by accommodation: the
Pounds85/head minimum means 8 people in a 2-room chalet. Minimum for 2
is Pounds290; no singles; see www.sfxweekender.com. Under-12s free (one
per paying adult). Contact 08700 110034.
RUMBLINGS [] _AKFT 15_ (_Trek_), planned for 26 Feb - 1 Mar 2010 in
Tintagel, Cornwall, is now looking for a new venue. More TBA.
### INFINITELY IMPROBABLE ###
AS OTHERS SEE US. That Reynolds/Gollancz deal inspired sophisticated
literary badinage, reminiscent of the Algonquin Circle in its heyday,
from the _Bookseller_'s 'Agent Provocateur', Miss Daisy Frost:
'Twitterers also tell me that the Al Reynolds mega book deal has been
misreported too -- that doesn't surprise me as no one would give a
science fiction writer a million pounds for 10 books. I mean how many
anoraks does a geek need? My spy tells me that it was actually an advance
of Pounds10 for a million books and not vice versa. Let's hope they are
separately accounted although knowing Hachette I doubt it.' [SS] Tut,
tut.
MAGAZINE SCENE. In July, _Interzone_ became the longest-running UK sf
magazine by number of issues, with 223 to _New Worlds_'s 222. Will Mike
Moorcock ('We Try Harder') be stirred to revive _NW_ again?
AWARDS. _Edge Hill Prize_ for story collection: Chris Beckett, _The
Turing Test_. Since the Pounds5,000 prize has no genre restrictions and
a Booker winner and nominees were shortlisted, the victory of an sf
collection (mostly taken from _Interzone_) surprised even the judges,
'none of whom knew they were science fiction fans beforehand.' [TB]
_Prometheus_ (libertarian): Cory Doctorow, _Little Brother_; hall
of fame, J.R.R. Tolkien, _The Lord of the Rings_.
RHYSLING (poetry): LONG Geoffrey A. Landis, 'Search' (_Helix SF
10_). SHORT Amal El-Mohtar, 'Song for an Ancient City' (_Mythic Delirium
19_).
_Mythopoeic_ (fantasy): ADULT LITERATURE Carol Berg, _Flesh and
Spirit_ and _Breath and Bone_. CHILDREN'S Kristin Cashore, _Graceling_.
INKLINGS STUDIES John Rateliff, _The History of the Hobbit, Part One: Mr.
Baggins; Part Two: Return to Bag-end_. OTHER STUDIES Charles Butler,
_Four British Fantasists: Place and Culture in the Children's Fantasies
of Penelope Lively, Alan Garner, Diana Wynne Jones, and Susan Cooper_.
_Shirley Jackson_ (suspense/horror): NOVEL Jeffrey Ford, _The Shadow
Year_. NOVELLA Julia Leigh, _Disquiet_. NOVELETTE John Kessel, 'Pride and
Prometheus' (_Subterranean: Tales of Dark Fantasy_). SHORT Michael
Bishop, 'The Pile' (_Subterranean Online_). COLLECTION Yoko Ogawa, _The
Diving Pool_. ANTHOLOGY _The New Uncanny_ ed. Sarah Eyre & Ra Page. [ED]
_RITA_ (romance), paranormal romance novel category: Gwyn Cready,
_Seducing Mr. Darcy_. (_SFscope_)
DOWNHILL EVER SINCE. 'Forty years ago this week science fiction writers
were celebrities ... The whole sci-fi community should have been crying
with Ray Bradbury on July 21, 1969. As space exploration disappeared from
the front pages, sci-fi lost much of its glamour and most of its readers.
I would guess that half of the stories in this genre during this period
leading up to the Apollo landing dealt with outer space. How could these
same writers adopt to a world where rockets and astronauts had lost their
luster? [...] With the benefit of hindsight, we should probably admit
that the landing of Apollo 11 was the end of the glory days of sci-fi.'
(Ted Gioia, Conceptualfiction.com, July) [MMW] Which of us is cruel
enough to break this sad news to Al Reynolds?
R.I.P. _Wrai Ballard_ (1924-2009), US fan who was in fandom for over 60
years and wrote extensively in FAPA and SAPS, died on 24 July; he was 85.
[AIP]
_Charles N. Brown_ (1937-2009), co-founder and long-time publisher
and editor of the leading genre news magazine _Locus_ (which has won the
Hugo award 29 times) died on 12 July aged 72; he was asleep on a plane
returning from Readercon to California. It goes without saying that he
had long been a central figure of the sf fan community; in person, his
grumpily sardonic conversation was always fun.
_Barry England_ (1932-2009), UK playwright and author of _Figures
in a Landscape_ (1968) plus the post-holocaust sf novel _No Man's Land_
(1997), died on 21 May aged 77. [JE]
_Eleanor 'Ellie' Frazetta_ (1935-2009), wife (since 1956) and
business partner of the artist Frank Frazetta, died on 17 July aged 74.
[AIP]
_Phyllis Gotlieb_ (1926-2009), Canadian poet and author who began
publishing sf in 1959 -- with her novel debut being _Sunburst_ (1964) --
died on 14 July; she was 83. In 1982 she received Canada's Aurora Award
for sf life achievement.
_G. Scott Heckenlively_ (1963-2009), US genre artist who worked in
film, tv, theatre and videogames, died on 26 June aged 45. [SFWA]
_Brenda Joyce_ (1917-2009), US actress who played Jane in _Tarzan
and the Amazons_ (1945) and four 1940s sequels, died on 4 July aged 92.
[PDF]
_John A. Keel_ (1930-2009), UFO/paranormal author whose best-known
work _The Mothman Prophecies_ (1975, aka _Visitors from Space_) inspired
the 2002 sf/horror film of the same title, died on 3 July; he was 79.
[BB]
_Arthur O. Lewis Jr_ (1920-2009), US scholar of utopian sf whose
books included _American Utopias: Selected Short Fiction_ (1971), died
on 18 July aged 88. The Penn State University library collection of
utopian fiction is named for him. [AIP]
_Kenneth 'Khen' Moore_, notable member of US Southern Fandom and
founder of the Kubla Khan convention, died on 30 June aged 66. [AIP]
_John Ryan_ (1921-2009), UK cartoonist who created Captain Pugwash
and the inept 'special agent' Harris Tweed (some of whose exploits were
sf) for the 1950s _Eagle_ comic, died on 22 July; he was 88.
_Dave Simons_ (1954-2009), US comics artist and animator who worked
on _Conan_, _Red Sonja_, _Spider-Man_ and other Marvel titles, died on
9 June aged 54. [JHB]
AS OTHERS ENVY US. '"Every other genre has managed to pull itself up by
its bootstraps and be defined by its highest level," says Lynn
Coddington, a historical romance writer who also has a PhD in English.
Just look at Dan Brown. People brazenly read "The Da Vinci Code" right
on the Metro. "But romance is always defined by its dreck."' Not like sf
at all. (_Washington Post_ on Romance Writers' Convention, 18 July) [AL]
DOCTORS AT LARGE. Philip Pullman and Bryan Talbot both received honorary
doctorates, respectively from Oxford on 24 June [DVB] and from Sunderland
University on 17 July. The latter, for 'outstanding contribution to the
Arts as writer and graphic artist', is apparently the UK's first-ever
honorary doctorate for work in the comics medium.
OK READING COPY. Eleven of the late Fred Saberhagen's novels are
excitably described by Fine Edition Books of Greenhithe, Kent, as each
having 'a spine as spotless and stiff as as a viagra induced rampage in
a combative warthog during mating season'. (AbeBooks.co.uk) [AS/LKS]
OUTRAGED LETTERS. _John Freeman_ on that ITV programme cancellation
(_A264_): '_Primeval_ producer Tim Haines says the CGI costs claim is
untrue: apparently it's more to do with ITV "ring fencing" its budgets
for post-watershed drama (giving up on making anything for family
audiences, just as ITV has almost completely given up on making anything
for children).... ITV in its wisdom rejected a CoPro deal that could have
saved the show, effectively kiboshing a revenue stream.' ITV is similarly
resisting a bid by Gerry Anderson to revive his _Thunderbirds_ in CGI,
although he's sure he can raise the needed funds. Since ITV -- which owns
the rights -- seems willing to talk to other people about such a remake,
Anderson suspects institutional ageism. (_The Register_, June)
100 YEARS AGO. G.K. Chesterton satirically predicts today's Home Office
attitude to the burden of proof, with the House of Commons accepting the
compelling argument that '"Insanity, like forgetfulness, is simply a
quality which enters more or less into all human beings; and for
practical purposes it is more necessary to know whose mind is really
trustworthy than whose has some accidental taint. We have therefore
reversed the existing method, and people now have to prove that they are
sane." [...] "And you mean to say ... that that proposal was passed in
an assembly that calls itself democratic?' [...] "Oh, the assembly calls
itself Socialist now ..."' (_The Ball and the Cross_, 1909, chapter 18)
AS OTHERS BOOST US. Stuart Jeffries's _Guardian_ squib on UK space opera
opens well enough, but before long made many sf people (not only in the
USA) gibber: 'This is a golden age for British science fiction, chiefly
thanks to a wave of writers who are tackling an area their American
rivals tend to leave well alone -- far-future set, space-operatic, hard
sci-fi. Americans tend to set their sci-fi in soft (ie, scientifically
unsupported) near futures.' (13 July) Do they indeed? The slobs.
C.O.A. _Susie Haynes/Fantast Three_, 23 Listers Rd, Upwell, Wisbech,
Cambs, PE14 9BW. _David Redd_ (not, alas, his wife Meriel, who died on
13 July), 30 Bulford Rd, Johnston, Haverfordwest, Pembs, SA62 3EU.
OH DEAR. When K. Tempest Bradford mocked the naked bosomy mermaid on a
_Realms of Fantasy_ cover and suggested equal time for sexy men, a
commenter on her blog obliged with a spoof _RoF_ cover. Its male buttock
display caused no offence, but the contents did: 'Neil Gaiman: Grocery
List. Harlan Ellison: Senile Meanders. Harry Potter: Just Because.' No
prize for guessing who threw an abusive hissy fit that made embarrassing
play with the fact that Bradford is 'a Woman of Color'. But apologies
have since been exchanged; incident over. [DKMK] See 'Open Letter' below.
OPTICS MASTERCLASS. 'Perversely, the lower they were, the farther they
could see. Light in this part of the Chaos apparently climbed around and
over obstructions, then curved down to meet them ... From the bottom of
this valley, they might be able to see across the Chaos for many hundreds
or thousands of miles.' (Greg Bear, _City at the End of Time_, 2008)
Steve Jeffery wonders: 'I'm still trying to puzzle this. Surely if light
bends around and about obstacles, these would be invisible, so they would
actually see nothing for hundreds or thousands of miles?'
RANDOM FANDOM. _Sally Carteret_, short fiction author, proves to be a
pseudonym of Lucius Shephard. [PS]
_Neil Gaiman_ donated a tuckerization (namecheck 'in an unspecified
work ... that might not happen for five years') to the Worldcon fan funds
auction.
_Ken Slater_'s bequest enabled the SF Foundation library to acquire
rare titles including a first of Edwin L. Arnold's _Lieut. Gullivar
Jones: His Vacation_. [AS]
IN TYPO VERITAS. _Publishers Weekly_ on _The New Space Opera 2_ ed.
Gardner Dozois & Jonathan Strahan: 'The impressive diversity of stories
reaffirms that soap opera is alive and well ...' [JdV]
MEMORY HOLE. Amazon caused a stir by exerting its uncanny power to delete
downloaded texts, ironically including Orwell's _1984_, from Kindle ebook
readers; user accounts were credited with the 99-cent cost. A decent
apology followed, and a promise not to do this again. But, with many sf
pundits expecting the abolition of the Semiprozine Hugo to be ratified at
this month's Worldcon, I wonder whether I'll wake up to find _Ansible_'s
2005 award replaced by a modest compensation payment.
NO FRILLS. TV sf inspires room designers, says Tony Alleyne of 24th
Century Interior Design, and offers a memorable poster strapline for the
next _Star Trek_ film: 'Science fiction interiors explore unconventional
but imaginative environments [...] The _Star Trek_ variety is minimal but
soft, with the greys, whites, pastels, and aluminium suggestive of a
luxury liner. It's an ideal living space. There's no clutter. There are
no doilies in space.' (Josh Sims interview, _Financial Times_, 18 July)
[MMW]
THOG'S MASTERCLASS. _Doorphobia Dept._ 'Cray turned away from the
unyielding door of the cabin with a feeling that his guts had dissolved,
his legs had turned into viable liquid, and where his nerves had once
been, icy rivulets of pure fear now surrounded, enmeshed and threatened
his entire being.' ('Karl Zeigfreid', _Barrier 346_, 1965)
_Neat Tricks Dept._ 'The old man opened his eyes metaphorically.'
('John E. Muller', _The Ultimate Man_, 1961)
_Loss of Face Dept._ 'I watched him turn from pale to ashen in about
two seconds flat; his face tried to drain away but never got past his
Adam's apple, which bobbed convulsively as he did his best to swallow
it.' (Laurence Payne, _Knight Fall_, 1987) [MD]
### GEEKS' CORNER ###
SUBSCRIPTIONS. To receive _Ansible_ monthly via e-mail, send a message
to ...
ansible-request{at}dcs.gla.ac.uk
... with a Subject line reading:
subscribe
(Message body text irrelevant.) Please send a corresponding
'unsubscribe' to resign from this list. You can also manage your
subscription details at the following URL:
https://mr1.dcs.gla.ac.uk/mailman/listinfo/ansible
RSS -- http://news.ansible.co.uk/rss.html
LiveJournal syndication --
http://www.livejournal.com/users/ansiblezine/
Back issues -- http://news.ansible.co.uk/
_Ansible_ Links -- http://links.ansible.co.uk/
Books Received -- http://ansible.co.uk/booksin.html
CONVENTION AND EVENT LINKS
[] British Isles (plus Eurocon, Worldcon) --
http://links.ansible.co.uk
[] London meetings/events -- http://news.ansible.co.uk/london.html
[] Overseas -- http://news.ansible.co.uk/conlisti.html
### ENDNOTES ###
APPARITIONS.
[] 14 August 2009: Brum Group, Summer Social meal at the Black Eagle,
Handsworth (may be fully booked). Normal meetings: Briar Rose, Bennett
Hill, Birmingham city centre. 7:30pm for 8pm. Pounds4; members
Pounds3. Contact 07845 897760 or bhamsfgroup at yahoo co uk. Future
meetings: Justina Robson, 11 September; Alastair Reynolds (TBC), 9
October; Jasper Fforde, 6 November; Christmas Social, 4 December.
PAYPAL DONATION. Support _Ansible_ and keep the editor happy! Or just
buy his books ... please.
http://ansible.co.uk/paypal.html
http://ansible.co.uk/books/index.html
http://ansible.co.uk/books/starcomb.html -- the very latest.
EDITORIAL. Alas, once again I can't make it to Worldcon. Neither can
Martin Hoare, so TAFF man Steve Green will be representing me at the
Hugos, or at least at the losers' party. Best wishes to all for a
jolly splendid et tres bilingual time at Anticipation. Meanwhile, I
was cheered by this Agony Column review ...
http://tr.im/onstarcombing
CONVENTIONAL WISDOM. Another little _Ansible_ work-in-progress gathers
links to our (also _Checkpoint_'s) past convention and event reports.
What's more, Graham Charnock has started to archive British con
reports from other fanzines:
http://news.ansible.co.uk/conrep.html
http://tr.im/ukconreps
OPEN LETTER to the sf community from the Carl Brandon Society:
http://tr.im/carlbrandonletter
SAVE THE SEMIPROZINE HUGO is making its last stand:
http://savesemiprozine.org/
THOG REDUX. A little outside Thog's normal scope, Carolyn See's review
of a fictionalized life of JFK (_Washington Post_, 17 July) says that
this is written 'as if a student in remedial English had entered into
a shotgun marriage with Marcel Proust'. Thus the _Dept of Morbid
Pathology:_ 'Sexual toxins circulate in spiraling abundance, causing
headaches, nausea, and muscle spasms, and the occasional sight of a
physically appealing woman releases a spigot somewhere inside that
pours more of the effluent into the subject's system, inflaming his
already inflamed genital tubing, so that his prostate surgeon
prescribes a short course of antibiotics to ward off infection of the
urinary tract, while Dr. Feelgood advises him the best remedy is
ejaculation, not through facile masturbation, but by the process of
full sexual intercourse with a stimulating partner, as the only
certain method of releasing the suppurating juices that had been
accumulating for weeks without remission.' (Jed Mercurio, _American
Adulterer_, 2009) [MMW]
Ansible 265 Copyright (c) David Langford, 2009. Thanks to Barbara
Barrett, Tony Ballantyne, David V Barrett, James H. Burns, Ellen
Datlow, Mog Decarnin, Jetse de Vries, Paul di Filippo, John Eggeling,
David K.M. Klaus, Andy Love, Andrew I. Porter, PS Publishing, Andy
Sawyer, Simon Spanton, Leslie Kay Swigart, Martin Morse Wooster, and
Hero Distributors: Dave Corby (BSFG), Janice Murray (NA), SCIS/
Prophecy, and Alan Stewart (Australia).
31 Jul 09
--
David Langford | http://ansible.co.uk/ | http://news.ansible.co.uk/
See http://ansible.co.uk/bibcent.html for bibliographical horrors.
date: Fri, 31 Jul 2009 19:11:33 +0100
author: David Langford
|
