ANSIBLE 249
APRIL 2008
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 the Shining Trapezohedron.
[NET NOTE. See http://news.ansible.co.uk/a249.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]
ORBITAL. The 2008 UK Eastercon at Heathrow seemed highly successful, with
guests of honour Neil Gaiman, Tanith Lee, China Mieville, Rog Peyton
(fan) and Charles Stross all on excellent form. Total membership was
estimated as 1,300-odd actually attending. The event returns to the same
Heathrow hotel, the Radisson Edwardian, as Odyssey 2010 on 2-5 April
2010: guests are Alastair Reynolds, Liz Williams, Mike Carey, and Fran
& John Dowd (fan).
BSFA AWARDS went to Ian McDonald for _Brasyl_ (novel), Ken MacLeod
for 'Lighting Out' in _disLocations_ (short), Andy Bigwood for the
_disLocations_ cover 'Cracked World' (art), and Brian Aldiss for _Non-
Stop_ (1958 anniversary award). Also Peter Mabey received a life
membership as the longest-established BSFA member still paying his annual
sub.
DOC WEIR AWARD for unsung heroes: Eddie Cochrane.
There were lots of good programme items that I deafly missed. Rare
negative comments concerned access difficulties (narrow stairways that
couldn't handle crowds) and erratic air conditioning (bake in the
dealer's room or freeze in the real ale bar); the latter should be fixed
by 2010. Alarmingly, my overflow hotel -- the Renaissance -- proved to
be a rebranding of the old Heathrow Hotel where 30 years ago I and others
ran the first airport Eastercon, Skycon '78.
### THE SIGMA-SEQUENCE ###
M. JOHN HARRISON won the Philip K. Dick Award for _Nova Swing_; Minister
Faust's _From The Notebooks Of Dr. Brain_ had a special citation.
LARRY NIVEN, as any fan might expect, is in the Sigma sf writers' think
tank which offers 'unconventional thinking' at US Homeland Security
science/technology conferences. In March, _National Defense_ magazine
gave unenthusiastic -- some say slanted -- coverage to a recent Sigma
panel's 'rambling, sometimes strident string of ideas [...] Niven said
a good way to help hospitals stem financial losses is to spread rumors
in Spanish within the Latino community that emergency rooms are killing
patients in order to harvest their organs for transplants.' _Niven:_ 'The
problem [of hospitals going broke] is hugely exaggerated by illegal
aliens who aren't going to pay for anything anyway.' _Jerry Pournelle:_
'Do you know how politically incorrect you are?' _Niven:_ 'I know it may
not be possible to use this solution, but it does work.' _ND_ also
claimed that, rather than answer audience questions, panellists 'used
their time to pontificate on a variety of tangentially related topics,
including their past roles advising the government, predictions in their
stories that have come to pass, the demise of the paperback book market,
and low-cost launch into space.' [NH] That sounds familiar.
TERRY PRATCHETT's donation of a million dollars for Alzheimer's research
('Personally, I'd eat the arse out of a dead mole if it offered a
fighting chance.') was very widely reported. The fevered brain of Pat
Cadigan perceived that this could be equalled if a million fans each gave
a pound to the same cause, a campaign very soon named 'Match It For
Pratchett' -- with its own website at www.matchitforpratchett.org. Over
Pounds2,500 was raised at Orbital, and donations to the Alzheimer's
Research Trust in honour of Terry approached Pounds41,000 by 25 March.
### CONYSCHANT ###
23 Apr [] BSFA OPEN MEETING, The Antelope, 22 Eaton Terrace, London, SW1W
8EZ (closest tube, Sloane Square). 6pm on; fans present in the bar from
5pm. Ken Slater memorial, with Peter Weston.
26 Apr [] ALT.FICTION, Darwin Suite, Assembly Rooms, Derby. Many guests.
Pounds20 reg; Pounds16 concessions. Box Office booking: 01332 255800.
30 Apr [] CLARKE AWARD CEREMONY, London. By invitation only.
30 Apr - 4 May [] SCI-FI LONDON, Apollo West End Cinema, Lower Regent St,
London. Pounds10/film evenings (10% off until 15 Apr) or Pounds8/film
day; 'buy 5 get 1 free'. All-nighters Pounds25. Bookings 020 7451 9944.
3-5 May [] FFORDE FFIESTA, De Vere Hotel, Shaw Ridge, Swindon. _Now
Pounds30 reg._ Day tickets available. Booking: www.ffordeffiesta.com.
Cheques to The Fforde Ffestival, 37A Oak Close, Bristol, BS34 6RB.
28 Jun [] TOLKIEN SOCIETY SEMINAR, Parkstead House, Whitelands College,
Roehampton University, London. Papers invited, on 'Freedom, Fate, and
Choice in Middle-earth': seminar at tolkiensociety dot org.
28-29 Jun [] CONRUNNER 2008 (conrunning), Britannia Hotel, Wolverhampton.
_Now Pounds35 reg_ until 21 Jun; Pounds45 at door. Day Pounds25. Contact
56 Jackmans Place, Letchworth G.C., Herts, SG6 1RH.
29-31 Aug [] MECON 11/UNICON 22, Queen's Univ, Belfast. GoH Charles
Stross. Pounds15/Euro22 reg; Pounds10/Euro15 unwaged; Pounds5 supp.
Cheques to 'QUB Sci-Fi Society'. Contact 115 Malone Rd, Belfast, BT9 6SP.
5-7 Sep [] ZOMBIECON, Bentley, Walsall. _Now Pounds45 reg_ until 31
August; Pounds50 at the door. Parent/guardian consent is required for
under-18s. Contact 54 Bridge Rd, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB8 2QP.
19-21 Sep [] FANTASYCON 2008, Britannia Hotel, 1 St James St, Nottingham.
_Now Pounds60 reg_ (BFS members and students Pounds50); Pounds70
(Pounds60) from 1 July. Contact 5 Greenbank, Barnt Green, Birmingham, B45
8DH.
27 Sep - 4 Oct [] MILFORD WRITERS' CONFERENCE, Trigonos Centre,
Snowdonia. Published authors only. Enquiries c/o Homeway House, 40
Westhay Rd, Meare, Glastonbury, Somerset, BA6 9TL.
11-12 Oct [] NEWCON 4, The Fishmarket, Bradshaw Street, Northampton, NN1
2HL. _Now Pounds40 reg_ (BSFA members Pounds35). Pounds10 supporting;
Pounds20 per day. Contact 16 Albany Road, Northampton, NN1 5LZ.
8 Nov [] MUSIC FROM THE 21ST CENTURY: Barry Gray (_Thunderbirds_ and
other Gerry Anderson music) centenary concert, Royal Festival Hall, South
Bank, London. Tickets: www.southbankcentre.co.uk.
7-9 Nov [] ARMADACON XX, Royal Fleet Club, 9-12 Morice Square, Devonport,
Plymouth, PL1 4PQ _(new venue)_. Pounds35 reg; Pounds30 concessions;
Pounds10 supp. Contact 20 Pinewood Close, Plympton, Devon, PL7 2DW.
14-16 Nov [] NOVACON 38, Quality Hotel, Bentley, Walsall. _Now Pounds38
reg_; Pounds42 at the door. Contact 379 Myrtle Road, Sheffield, S2 3HQ.
### INFINITELY IMPROBABLE ###
AS OTHERS RESEARCH US. 'I've always been a fan of H.G. Wells, the
19th/20th century British sci-fi author. You know, he's the guy who
penned such classics as "The War of the Worlds," "The Time Machine" and
my personal favorite, "1984."' (Greg Bucci, city editor, _Mohave Valley
Daily News_, 13 March) [MRL]
HUGO NOMINATIONS. NOVEL Michael Chabon, _The Yiddish Policemen's Union_;
Ian McDonald, _Brasyl_; Robert J. Sawyer, _Rollback_; John Scalzi, _The
Last Colony_; Charles Stross, _Halting State_.
NOVELLA Nancy Kress, 'The Fountain of Age' (_Asimov's_ 7/07);
Kristine Kathryn Rusch, 'Recovering Apollo 8' (_Asimov's_ 2/07); Lucius
Shepard, 'Stars Seen Through Stone' (_F&SF_ 7/07); Connie Willis, 'All
Seated on the Ground' (_Asimov's_ 12/07); Gene Wolfe, 'Memorare' (_F&SF_
4/07).
NOVELETTE Daniel Abraham, 'The Cambist and Lord Iron: a Fairytale
of Economics' (_Logorrhea_); Ted Chiang, 'The Merchant and the
Alchemist's Gate' (_F&SF_ 9/07); Greg Egan, 'Dark Integers' (_Asimov's_
10/07); Greg Egan 'Glory' (_The New Space Opera_); David Moles,
'Finisterra' (_F&SF_ 12/07).
SHORT Stephen Baxter, 'Last Contact' (_The Solaris Book of New SF_);
Elizabeth Bear, 'Tideline' (_Asimov's_ 6/07); Ken MacLeod 'Who's Afraid
of Wolf 359?' (_The New Space Opera_); Mike Resnick 'Distant Replay'
(_Asimov's_ 4/07); Michael Swanwick, 'A Small Room in Koboldtown'
(_Asimov's_ 4/07).
RELATED BOOK Diana Glyer, _The Company They Keep: C.S. Lewis and
J.R.R. Tolkien as Writers in Community_; Barry Malzberg, _Breakfast in
the Ruins: SF in the Last Millennium_; Luis Ortiz, _Emshwiller: Infinity
x Two_; Jeff Prucher, _Brave New Words: The Oxford Dictionary of SF_;
Shaun Tan, _The Arrival_.
DRAMATIC: LONG _Enchanted_; _The Golden Compass_; _Heroes_ Season
1; _Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix_; _Stardust_.
DRAMATIC: SHORT _Battlestar Galactica_, 'Razor'; _Doctor Who_,
'Blink'; _Doctor Who_, 'Human Nature'/'Family of Blood'; _Star Trek New
Voyages_, 'World Enough and Time'; _Torchwood_, 'Captain Jack Harkness'.
EDITOR: SHORT Ellen Datlow, Stanley Schmidt, Jonathan Strahan,
Gordon Van Gelder, Sheila Williams.
EDITOR: LONG Lou Anders, Ginjer Buchanan, David G. Hartwell, Beth
Meacham, Patrick Nielsen Hayden.
ARTIST Bob Eggleton, Phil Foglio, John Harris, Stephan Martiniere,
John Picacio, Shaun Tan.
SEMIPROZINE _Ansible_, _Helix_, _Interzone_, _Locus_, _The New York
Review of SF_.
FANZINE _Argentus_, _Challenger_, _The Drink Tank_, _File 770_,
_Plokta_.
FAN WRITER Chris Garcia, David Langford, Cheryl Morgan, John Scalzi,
Steven H Silver.
FAN ARTIST Brad Foster, Teddy Harvia, Sue Mason, Steve Stiles, Taral
Wayne.
CAMPBELL AWARD ('not a Hugo') Joe Abercrombie, Jon Armstrong, David
Anthony Durham, David Louis Edelman, Mary Robinette Kowal, Scott Lynch.
APOCWYPHAL? _Elderly Lady at Waterstone's:_ 'I'm looking for something
for my grandson; he's 16 and not really into reading, though he likes
Pratchett. What might you recommend?' _Waterstone's Person:_ 'Has he
tried Rankin?' _EL:_ 'Yes, I suppose that would keep him quiet, but I was
really wanting to get him a book.' (Bent's Notes, _The Bookseller_)
ARTHUR C. CLARKE AWARD shortlist: Matthew de Abaitua, _The Red Men_;
Stephen Baxter, _The H-Bomb Girl_; Sarah Hall, _The Carhullan Army_;
Steven Hall, _The Raw Shark Texts_; Ken MacLeod, _The Execution Channel_;
Richard Morgan, _Black Man_.
As usual, there was some fuss about the jury's choices.
Administrator Tom Hunter writes: 'In an SF Crowsnest interview I said:
"In many ways the Award isn't so much about picking the 'best' book of
the year (although we are still very good at that too) and is more about
pushing at the edges of our genre." While this was part of a broader
point about the many different ways in which the Award is viewed by the
sf community and beyond, it's clear to me now that such comments can
easily be read as suggesting there's an agenda behind the selection
process, which is not and never has been the case. The Clarke Award is
known for the high level of passionate debate it can inspire, but I
apologise for any confusion and concern I have unintentionally provoked
while promoting the Award this year.'
PUBLISHERS AND SINNERS. A Games Workshop mole reports sweeping cuts in
their publishing arm after a poor Christmas for games sales. Marc
Gascoigne, founder of the imprints Solaris (sf/fantasy) and Black Library
(game ties), is now on 'gardening leave' with redundancy expected to
follow. BL seems safe but the future of Solaris is less certain.
R.I.P. _Jane Blackstock_ (1947-2001), late of Gollancz, died of cancer
on 3 March -- two days after her 61st birthday. Jo Fletcher writes:
'Jane, formerly Gollancz's formidable rights director, took on the role
of publisher when Liz Knights died; she was at the helm when Gollancz was
bought by Orion, but chose not to remain with the company.'
_Ray Bradbury_ (1950-2008), UK fan and long-time stalwart of the
Birmingham SF Group, died on 17 March -- about a week before his 58th
birthday. He was a skilled conjuror and member of the Magic Circle whose
occasional performances in fandom were much appreciated. [PW]
_Sir Arthur C. Clarke_ (1917-2008), UK-born sf and science author
who for decades had been genuinely world-famous, died in Sri Lanka on 18
March: he was 90. Several examples of his sf, notably _The City and the
Stars_ from 1956, still evoke that old sense of wonder for the most jaded
fans. It goes without saying that tributes appeared in countless major
newspapers and on-line platforms; my own more or less formal piece will
be in _SFX_. Despite colossal fame, Sir Arthur didn't forget his early
roots as 'Ego' Clarke in 1940s/1950s British fandom. When _Ansible_'s
most infamous department quoted him in 2002, he replied with delight:
'Now I can die happy -- finally made it to MASTERCLASS!' Overhead,
without any fuss ...
_Dr Christine Haycock_, widow of Sam Moskowitz and an active fan in
her own right, died on 23 January aged 84. [AIP]
_Raymond Leblanc_ (1915-2008), Belgian comics publisher whose co-
founded Editions du Lombard produced the famous _Tintin_ magazine (1945-
1988), died on 21 March aged 92. [JW]
_Anthony Minghella_ (1954-2008), UK scriptwriter and director who
wrote and directed the ghost story _Truly, Madly, Deeply_ (1990), died
unexpectedly on 18 March. He was 54. [JJ]
_Jody Scott_ (1923-2007), UK-born sf author who wrote _Passing For
Human_ (1977) and _I, Vampire_ (1984), died on 24 December last year; she
was 84.
_Dave Stevens_ (1955-2008), US cartoonist and comics writer/artist
who created The Rocketeer (filmed by Disney in 1991), died from leukaemia
on 10 March. He was 52. [JG]
BLURBISMO. 'What Jensen discovers will turn the world upside-down,
literally.' (Jonathan Cape blurb for Mark Wernham, _Martin Martin's On
the Other Side_, 2008) [BA]
AS OTHERS MOURN US. Simon Drake (who he?) shares his feelings on the
_Times_ website: 'Arthur C. Clarke is dead. Farewell. Etc. So are we
going to be hammered by publishers re-issuing all his well known titles
and a few more that you should also get to know? Is it possible that a
young writer, living in the "now" (ACC's "future" for when he was
writing) could be coming up with fantastic visions that equal ACC and
isn't it only fair for the young writer to be on the market as well? I
see his death as a good thing. Get the great ACC resurgence over and done
with and then SF Writers can get back to spreading great ideas into a
rapidly changing world. I give credit to ACC, I even put his Three Laws
of Robotics into the preface of my book Love Data, but it's time for a
new generation to get into the public eye.' [20 March] Poor dear.
MAGAZINE SCENE. _Scheherezade_, after an 18-year run, published its last
issue at Eastercon: editor Liz Counihan wants more time for her own
writing, although 'My sister and Art Editor, Deirdre, hopes that when she
has time she'll be able to revive the magazine.'
_Wendy Bradley_ corrects _A247_: _Farthing_ is on hold entirely for
financial reasons (Wendy needs Pounds3,000 to publish the next issue and
pay authors) and no personal health problems were involved. Your editor
grovels.
MORE AWARDS. _Prometheus_ (libertarian) finalists for 2007 work: Tobias
S. Buckell, _Ragamuffin_; Ken MacLeod, _The Execution Channel_; Larry
Niven & Edward M. Lerner, _Fleet of Worlds_, Harry S. Turtledove, _The
Gladiator_; Jo Walton, _Ha'Penny_.
OUTRAGED LETTERS. _Darren Nash_ of Orbit unwisely talked to _The Times_
about Arthur C. Clarke: 'This was distilled into the comment piece you
see in today's _Times_ [20 March]. It's not how I would have chosen to
write it -- apart from the last two paragraphs, which are taken from my
Orbit blog piece, they're not my words -- but it seemed harmless enough,
so I signed off on it. / Imagine my fury, this morning, when I opened the
paper to see the headline that dominated the page where "my" commentary
piece appeared. I would like to state, for the record, that had I had the
tiniest inkling that there was an agenda to rehash the vile rumours
spawned by that gutter-dwelling piece of bog paper, the _Sunday Mirror_,
not only would I have refused to speak to anyone from _The Times_, but
I'd have cordially invited them to go forth and multiply. I'm relieved,
at least, that "my" words didn't appear in the same article -- I can only
imagine how livid Terry Pratchett must be feeling right now -- but I'm
no less angry. I don't want my name on the same continent as an article
that revisits that pernicious -- and obviously politically motivated --
smear campaign, let alone on the same page. [...] Arthur C. Clarke was
one of my heroes. I grew up reading his novels, short stories and non-
fiction and it is that work that is directly responsible for me being
where I am today -- and in many ways, who I am today. You only need to
read my piece on the Orbit website to see the high regard in which I held
Sir Arthur. / I want to dissociate myself completely from that article
in _The Times_, now joining the black list of newspapers I will never buy
again. I shouldn't have expected any better from a Newscorp publication,
but somehow I did. More fool me.' (Jack Malvern's _Times_ article 'Arthur
C. Clarke's honour delayed by sex claims' devoted its first seven
paragraphs to the never-substantiated 1998 allegations, before finding
space for lesser matters like _2001_, satellites and the tributes from
Terry Pratchett and Patrick Moore.)
RANDOM FANDOM. _Bruce Gillespie_ is madly pleased to have won this year's
Peter McNamara Award for life achievement in Australian sf.
_Marcia Illingworth_ writes: 'Faldo, Tony (blindpew) Smith's first
Guide Dog, passed away on 3/03 at 7:20PM, with my arms around him and Tim
by our sides.'
_Rob Jackson_ hauled a load of prozines to Eastercon for the unknown
fan who won them at the 2007 LFF auction, but they still weren't claimed.
Unknown fan, please note that Rob will pay shipping costs: contact
jacksonshambrook at tiscali co uk.
_Jonathan Palfrey_ on the vast _A248_ obituary list: 'It's a pity
you feel obliged to kill so many people every time, but I suppose The
Duty has to be done. Have you ever thought of delegating the job to your
granddaughter?'
C.O.A. _Dave Locke_, PO Box 485, Pownal, VT 05261, USA. _Pat & Roger
Sims_, 12 Sweetgum Dr, Unit A, Orange City, FL 32763-9023, USA.
GUESTING. _Brian Aldiss:_ 'Just back from a rousing time in Florida,
where I attended the 29th year of the IAFA.... Also, I was in Tampa at
the South Florida University, where a learned choir of guys sang my
praises. Everyone enjoyed that -- particularly me. Now I'm home and full
of energy. I'm thinking of having a second pace-maker fitted.'
_Simon R. Green_ had to drop out as World Horror Convention MC owing
to the agony of (a) trapped nerves and (b) side effects of medication for
(a).
A248 UPDATE. 'Roger Von Bergendorff' is elusive as an sf artist, but
ISFDB and _Locus_ list covers for several Gregory Benford and other sf
titles 1986-1993, as by Roger Bergendorff or Bergendorf. [WL/JS]
THOG'S MASTERCLASS. _Eyeballs in the Sky._ 'Her eyes seemed to come back
from somewhere else ...' (Timothy Zahn, _The Backlash Mission_, 1986)
[IC]
_Teleology Dept._ 'In the dawn of time, Man, the monad, was encased
in stone. He had to struggle through into vegetable life, then, by
acquiring locomotion from plant to animal, from medusa to holothurisan;
thence to work his way out of the primeval waters, develop wings and
limbs -- ' (Clive Trent [Victor Rousseau], 'Human Pyramid', _Spicy-
Adventure Stories_, April 1941) [DL]
### GEEKS' CORNER ###
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CONVENTIONS/EVENTS LONGLIST
Details via http://links.ansible.co.uk#cons
London meetings/events -- http://news.ansible.co.uk/london.html
Overseas -- http://news.ansible.co.uk/conlisti.html
[] 2008
Until 18 May, Martian Museum of Terrestrial Art, Barbican Art Gallery,
London
26 April 2008, Alt.Fiction, Derby
30 April - 4 May 2008, Sci-Fi London film festival, London
3-5 May, Fforde Ffiesta (Jasper Fforde), Swindon
15-18 May 2008, Roscon or Euroscon (Eurocon), Moscow
20-22 June 2008, SF Masterclass, London
RELOCATED TO USA: 24-27 Jun 2008, SF Research Association conference,
Dublin
28 Jun, Tolkien Society Seminar, London
28-29 June 2008, ConRunner 2008 (conrunning), Wolverhampton
6-10 August 2008, Denvention 3 (Worldcon), Denver, USA
21-25 August 2008, Frightfest film festival, London
22-25 Aug 2008, Discworld Convention 2008, Birmingham
29-31 August 2008, Mecon, Belfast
5-7 September 2008, ZombieCon, Bentley, Walsall
12-14 September 2008, Reunion5 (media), Coventry
19-21 September 2008, Fantasycon 2008, Nottingham
25-28 September 2008, Oxonmoot (Tolkien), Oxford
4-5 October 2008, Birmingham International Comics Show, Birmingham
11-12 October 2008, NewCon 4, Northampton
17-19 October 2008, Festival of Fantastic Films, Manchester
18-19 October 2008, Octocon, Ireland
7-9 Nov 2008, ArmadaCon XX, Plymouth
14-16 Nov 2008, Novacon 38, Bentley, Walsall
[] 2009
20-22 Feb 2009, Redemption 09 (multimedia sf), Coventry
?? Mar 2009, Eurocon 2009, Fiuggi, Italy
10-13 Apr 2009, LXcon (Eastercon), Bradford
CANCELLED: 26-29 Jun 2009, Sectus 2009 (Harry Potter), North Wales
25-26 July 2009, Satellite 2, Glasgow
6-10 Aug 2009, Anticipation (67th Worldcon), Montreal, Canada
### ENDNOTES ###
APPARITIONS.
[] 5 April 2008: Neal Asher signing, Forbidden Planet, 179 Shaftesbury
Avenue, London, WC2H 8JR. 1-2pm.
[] 11 April 2008: Brum Group, Briar Rose, Bennett Hill, Birmingham
city centre. 7.45pm. With Michael Scott Rohan. Contact 07845 897760 or
bhamsfgroup at yahoo co uk. Further meetings: 9 May & 13 June TBA.
[] 12 April 2008: Alastair Reynolds signing, Forbidden Planet, 179
Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8JR. 1-2pm.
[] 3 May 2008: Stephen Hunt signing, Forbidden Planet, 179 Shaftesbury
Avenue, London, WC2H 8JR. 1-2pm.
RANDOM LINKS. Rather than save them up for _Ansible_ each month, I now
add topical links to a sidebar column on the links page:
http://links.ansible.co.uk/
PAYPAL DONATION. Support _Ansible_ and keep the editor happy! Or just
buy his books ...
http://ansible.co.uk/paypal.html
http://ansible.co.uk/biblio.html
http://ansible.co.uk/books/buy.php
http://ansible.co.uk/books/apricot.html
WEDDING BELLS. In February Pete Young married his Benji in Bangkok,
while James Bacon married Simone Van Zyl twice, in Croydon registry
office and again in South Africa.
STOKER AWARDS (horror), presented on 29 March: NOVEL Sarah Langan,
_The Missing_. FIRST NOVEL Joe Hill, _Heart-Shaped Box_. LONG FICTION
Gary Braunbeck, _Afterward, There Will Be a Hallway_. SHORT David
Niall Wilson, 'The Gentle Brush of Wings'. COLLECTION (tie): Michael
A. Arnzen, Proverbs for Monsters; Peter Straub, _5 Stories_. ANTHOLOGY
_Five Strokes to Midnight_ ed. Gary Braunbeck and Hank Schwaeble.
NONFICTION: Jonathan Maberry & David F. Kramer, _The Cryptopedia_.
POETRY (tie): Linda Addison, _Being Full of Light, Insubstantial_; and
Charlee Jacob & Marge Simon, _Vectors: A Week in the Death of a
Planet_. LIFE ACHIEVEMENT John Carpenter, Robert Weinberg.
EDITORIAL ODDMENTS. Juicy stories like the _National Defense_ panel
report often reach me from multiple _Ansible_ readers: I'm grateful to
you all but tend to credit only the first sender, unless different
communications provide different angles on the story. [] It occurs to
me that the _Ansible_ links page at links.ansible.co.uk is more
interesting and much more frequently updated than the nominal home
page at news.ansible.co.uk ... do you think it would be better for
news.ansible.co.uk to go straight to the links page? [] Once again I'm
slightly boggled that the much deplored (though not by me) streak of
Langford Hugo nominations continues. What can I say but thanks very
much? I have always depended on the kindness of voters. [] Lastly, an
unexciting new experiment: the website version of this issue includes
permalinks to each item and headline. This is all because of the great
Cory Doctorow. [] Despite the date I forgot to include any April
Foolery. Or is the previous sentence in fact a subtle leg-pull? I
forget that too.
THOG'S WEREWOLF SUPPLEMENT. Since Thog gets short shrift above, here
are some extras from a recently quoted masterwork: 'I forgot to
mention that werewolves are very strong. Their diet includes such
things as animal blood, ailing grandmothers and rancid chicken fat.'
[] 'Being a werewolf is strictly against the law in most countries
because they can be cruel and inhuman.' [] '"Yes," Waldo answered,
"it's one of the duties of a werewolf. I must frighten people."' (all
Arthur N. Scarm, _The Werewolf vs Vampire Woman_, 1972) [BA]
Ansible 249 Copyright (c) Dave Langford, 2008. Thanks to Ian Covell,
Joe Gordon, Niall Harrison, John Jarrold, Mark R. Leeper, Wim Lewis,
Denny Lien, Andrew I. Porter, James Summerson, Peter Weston, Joe
Woolamaloo, and our Hero Distributors: Vernon Brown (Brum Group News),
Janice Murray (N America), SCIS/Prophecy, and Alan Stewart
(Australia).
1 Apr 08
--
David Langford | http://ansible.co.uk/
| http://news.ansible.co.uk/
See http://ansible.co.uk/bibcent.html
for bibliographical horrors.
|
