Jeff VanderMeer is reporting that Richard K. Morgan has won this year's Arthur C. Clarke Award which is given to the best SF novel published each year in the UK (though not necessarily by a British writer).
Morgan won for his book Black Man which was released in the United States undr the title Thirteen.
See also:
Previous winners.
Share:
|
Discussion (2)
| PermaLink
| Posted by John on Wednesday April 30, 2008 - 6:30 PM
| Category: Awards
| © 2008 SF Signal
Tony from StarshipSofa writes in to tell us about some the cool things going on there:
The StarShipSofa podcast is metamorphosing into the StarShipSofa - The Audio Science Fiction Magazine. Following in the great tradition of magazines like Analog, Asimov's and Fantasy and Science Fiction.
Each week the StarShipSofa will deliver a full package of SF related audio material all free including audio fiction, fact audio essays, flash fiction and poetry, all by leading names in the SF field.
Many writers have agreed to let StarShipSofa narrate their works including Ben Bova, Joe Haldeman, Alistair Reynolds and M. John Harrison, to name a few.
There will be two shows per week, the Wednesday show, also know as Aural Delights will contain narrated audio fiction, fact and poerty and the weekend show will be an in depth look into an author's life and work.
This week saw the first of the metamorphosing with the StarShipSofa's Aural Delights show. Fiction was provided by Kage Baker's fantastic story "The Likely Lad," there were two poems by Bruce Boston and Laurel Winter, both winners of the Rhysling Award for SF Poetry. Flash fiction came from a very short but very powerful story called "Repeating The Past" by Peter Watts, author of the SF novel Blindsight.
In the weeks to come Peter Watts will also be delivering a monthly narrated fact article; this part of the show will be called Reality, Remastered.
As for the weekend shows, StarShipSofa has her sights upon writers such as John Scalzi, Robert Charles Wilson and Ken Macleod.
Share:
|
Discussion (0)
| PermaLink
| Posted by John on Wednesday April 30, 2008 - 3:48 PM
| Category: Web Sites
| © 2008 SF Signal
It's amazing what you can find on the internets these days. Case in point, the following gospel song praising everyone's favorite blatant merchandising move, Ewoks.
As if that weren't bad enough, Chad Vader also gets into the music business, covering that YouTube sensation, 'Chocolate Rain'.
Share:
|
Discussion (0)
| PermaLink
| Posted by JP on Wednesday April 30, 2008 - 12:47 PM
| Category: Movies, Star Wars
| © 2008 SF Signal
The annual Free Comic Book Day is coming on Saturday, May 3rd 2008. It's when participating comic book shops across North America and around the world give away comic books absolutely free to anyone who comes into their stores. (Details provided by each retailer.)
The selection of comics includes those from Gold sponsors (including All Star Superman #1, Hellboy/B.P.R.D., Project Superpowers, Transformers Animated, and X-Men) and silver sponsors (including Atomic Robo & Friends, Del Rey & Dabel Brothers Preview (Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files: Welcome To The Jungle, George R. R. Martin's Wild Cards: The Hard Call, And Dean Koontz's Frankenstein: Prodigal Son), Marvel Adventures: Iron Man, and Tiny Titans #1) .
Stop by a store near you!
Share:
|
Discussion (0)
| PermaLink
| Posted by John on Wednesday April 30, 2008 - 12:15 PM
| Category: Events
| © 2008 SF Signal
MY RATING: ![]()
Cenotaxis is Sean Williams' novella, set in his Astropolis universe, that bridges the gap between the first book, Saturn Returns, and the second book, Earth Ascendant. However, you need not have read Saturn Returns to read Cenotaxis. You'll miss some of the context, but the story, novella really, is rather self contained. The story covers the actions of Imre Bergamasc as he tries to coerce Earth and its people to enlist in his quest to discover the source of the 'Slow Wave', which wreaked havoc on the galactic civilization in Saturn Returns. Things don't go as smoothly as planned, and Imre must face off against an opponent who may, or may not be, God personified.
There's lots to like in Cenotaxis, particularly in the setting, which is an extension of the one from the series. However, Williams adds some rather cool SF-nal ideas to Cenotaxis. First, we have Jasper, the man who believes he is God. Jasper is unique, as he appears to be a the result of a breeding program to produce 'God'. In this case, Jasper, while not omnipotent, is omniscient in a limited way, due to his 'achronistic' way to experiencing time. In other words, Jasper is similar to Billy Pilgrim from Slaughter House 5 as he seems to jump around in time. However, we realize that Jasper's consciousness is actually time jumping, a la Desmod from the LOST episode, 'The Constant'. Williams explores how a nonlinear view of time would affect someone's actions, and how that might lead to omniscient seeming actions. Several times Jasper is able to escape traps that Imre has set for him to due to this time view. Williams also throws in a heavy dose of how belief and the divine play a large role in the evolution of humanity.
The other really cool idea Williams has is the 'Apparatus', an intelligence akin to the Forts from Saturn Returns, but seeming to be an A.I., rather than biological. I won't ruin the surprise by explaining how it's constructed, but suffice it to say it's a really neat SF idea with huge implications. The Apparatus seems to be Jasper's advisor in many respects, but its unclear what the exact relationship is between them, or who built it or why. Imre eventually learns something of the Apparatus and changes his focus from 'persuading' Earth (via military action) to join him, to trying to find the Apparatus.
The one big negative I had with Cenotaxis was the vague nature of the story. I never had a good grasp as to why Earth was so important that Imre and company would wage a 50 year war against it just to bring it into his crusade against those who unleashed the 'Slow Wave'. Even after going back and rereading the final few pages from Saturn Returns, I was still in the dark. Hopefully, the next book will explain more about why Earth is so important. Secondly, it's not clear who or what Jasper really is. His actions at the end really seemed to come out of nowhere and even after going back over the ending chapters, I still wasn't sure why he did what he did. Imre, though, will have an interesting ally on his side for the next book.
And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the very sweet cover by Sparth. It certainly goes well with the feeling of the story.
All in all, Cenotaxis is an interesting read that almost becomes great, but it's vagueness holds it back. Certainly worth it for those who are reading the Astropolis series. It did serve to whet my appetite for the next book!
Share:
|
Discussion (1)
| PermaLink
| Posted by JP on Wednesday April 30, 2008 - 1:06 AM
| Category: Book Review
| © 2008 SF Signal
Share:
|
Discussion (0)
| PermaLink
| Posted by John on Wednesday April 30, 2008 - 1:02 AM
| Category: Tidbits
| © 2008 SF Signal
As one would hope, there is talk of bacon and cats.
Share:
|
Discussion (0)
| PermaLink
| Posted by John on Wednesday April 30, 2008 - 12:57 AM
| Category: Books
| © 2008 SF Signal

Share:
|
Discussion (0)
| PermaLink
| Posted by JP on Wednesday April 30, 2008 - 12:26 AM
| Category: Tube Bits
| © 2008 SF Signal
Ursula K. Le Guin reads from her latest novel, Lavinia. The author spoke at Powell's City of Books in Portland, Oregon, on April 22, 2008.
Share:
|
Discussion (0)
| PermaLink
| Posted by John on Wednesday April 30, 2008 - 12:18 AM
| Category: Books
| © 2008 SF Signal
REVIEW SUMMARY: A good collection of original short fiction from a great lineup of writers.
BRIEF SYNOPSIS: An original fiction anthology containing 15 stories.
MY REVIEW:
PROS: Twelve stories worth reading, two of which were hugely enjoyable.
CONS: One story (the longest in the anthology) did not work for me at all.
BOTTOM LINE: An enjoyable collection of stories.
Editor George Mann opens The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction, Volume 2 by explaining the reason behind its publication. In doing so, he captures some of the reasons I enjoy reading short fiction: the jolt of wonder, the single conceit, the bite size morsel, etc. But there's no denying that it's common for a science fiction anthology, whose goal is often to present stories of various flavors, to include stories that do not suit a particular reader's tastes.
And so it was here. The good news is that only a single story failed to entertain. I must fess up to being totally disenchanted with the Michael Moorcock's Jerry Cornelius story. Being the longest story in the book had a noticeable effect on the overall weighted average. Such is the hit-or-miss nature of a short fiction anthology.
The ultimate question, despite some misses, is whether there are more hits. In this case, the answer is a resounding yes. The vast majority of stories in the anthology are good or better. The outstanding entries were "iCity" by Paul Di Filippo and "Sunworld" by Eric Brown. Both of these stories capture the joys that come with anthologies and ultimately help make The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction, Volume 2 an enjoyable anthology.
Reviewlettes follow...
Like all good science fiction should, Paul Di Filippo's "ICity" pushes the limits of imagination. To get a feel of the story, picture the next-next generation of SimCity, where "competitive urban planning" takes place. The city is made up of a malleable "senstrate" that obeys the commands planners send it through their phones. The story focus is on one of the top ten planners, Frederick Law Moses, and his up-and-coming rival, Holly Grale (Great name!), who are both vying to take control of a neighborhood recently elected for redesign by its residents. This had the same kind of mind-blowing effect as the author's own "WikiWorld" and was every bit as enjoyable. Well done. ![]()
Kay Kenyon looks at futuristic occupational obsolescence in "The Space Crawl Blues," a story in which the introverted pilot of a spaceship faces impending unemployment thanks to shiny, new quantum teleportation technology. Kenyon's story is engaging, and a fine example of quick-but-effective characterizations; one of which happens to describe the protagonist's ship.
"The Line of Dichotomy" is the latest episode in Chris Roberson's Celestial Empire stories. Here, Bannerman Yao, a soldier of the Dragon Throne (and featured in The Dragon's Nine Sons), responds to a distress signal from the Fire Planet (Mars), where he discovers Mexica warriors surrounding a bacteria farm. As Yao attempts to rescue them, readers come to learn a great deal more about the mysterious Mexic race. We also learn details about the start of the war between the Middle Kingdom and the Mexic Dominion. This history is told by Yao and Blue-green Feather, a Mexic warrior he encounters whose words are translated by Thien, a scientist who Yao is attempting to save. Despite my poor summation, this is all great world-building. The ending of "The Line of Dichotomy" leaves some question as to the fates of its main characters, but this is a very fun ride nonetheless, told in Roberson's straightforward, no-nonsense storytelling style.
Kelvin, the human protagonist of Robert Reed's "Fifty Dinosaurs" is just as confused as the reader as to his whereabouts when the story opens. But it soon becomes clear that he is one of fifty creations in an environment created by the new rulers of Earth - created for the sole purpose of being birthday party entertainment. A decent premise in a humans-in-an-alien-museum kind of way, but somewhat marred by the initially-weird uncertainty of events caused by Kelvin's spotted memory. But even that bizarreness is trumped by the ending. ![]()
Neal Asher serves up another lighthearted and fun story (one of two in this anthology) in his Mason's Rats milieu with "Black Rat". These stories provide episodic fun centered around Mason's troubles with rats on his farm. In this story, Mason's uneasy alliance with the usual brown rats is upset when a newly-arrived pack of black rats wreak havoc on his farm. The science fiction comes in not only with the surrounding technology, but also that the rats are intelligent; at one smile-inducing point, they use a tiny catapult to launch hex nuts.
"Blood Bonds" by Brenda Cooper is about twin sisters Lissa and Aline. Lissa gets a job on Mars to help pay for an operation for Aline, who was paralyzed in a terrorist attack and thus spends most of her time living in virtual space. Aline finds an unexpected way to connect with her sister, though some anti-AI laws are broken to do so. Soon, both sisters become involved in matters that extend beyond the realms of sisterhood. While the narrative gets understandably confusing near the end, this heartfelt story never loses its emotional strength.
"The Eyes of God" by Peter Watts isn't so much a story as it is a thought-provoking scene. The scene is of a man waiting to board an airplane in a near-future airport. Issues of declining civil liberties and personal privacy are taken to the extreme when the technology exists to not only detect undesirable behavior but also to eliminate it, if only temporarily. The extrapolated argument is convincing and effective until the shocking reason for the narrator's guilty conscience is revealed, and then I flip-flopped as I wondered if such intrusions are perhaps justified after all.
Like his recent novel, Helix, Eric Brown is in the business of spinning up a huge sense of wonder with "Sunworld" in which Yarrek, a young male on the verge of adulthood, faces his destiny. From the descriptions we know we are on an alien world, even though the geometry of it is a bit confusing at first since descriptions seemingly alternate between ringworld and discworld. But all becomes clears in the end, by which time even the clich@eacute; premise (farmboy of questionable lineage learns the true nature of the world) seem of small consequence next to the awesome scope of what Yarrek learns while under the tutelage of a more open-minded Church. This is a wondrous story and a fun read.
Mary Robinette Kowal's "Evil Robot Monkey" is an affecting snapshot in the life of a chimp with an implant in his head that increases his intelligence. Unfortunately for him, that lands him in the "hellish limbo" of being "too smart to be with other chimps, but too much of an animal to be with humans." He becomes the subject of ridicule of children in what is presumably a school where he spends his time behind a pottery wheel. The interesting premise is delicately overlaid with emotion by having a single human show the chimp some compassion, resulting in a quick-and-dirty sf short story that is both charming and memorable.
It takes a long while to get interesting, but Dominic Green's "Shining Armour" eventually captures the reader's attention. It's the story of a small village taking a stand against the large city, with their only defense being the hulking military machine that has been sitting dormant in their village for some time. There's never any doubt who will assume the role of the Guardian's operator, but even so, it was a sweet feeling to see him flex his mechanical muscles and serve up just desserts.
I'm not entirely sure how Karl Schroeder's "Book, Theatre, and Wheel" found its way in a science fiction anthology as it leans more heavily on the platform of historical fiction than it does sf. Classification aside, it's a good story set during the Inquisition in which Church representatives investigate rumors that people in a small, faraway town are learning to read. Neville and Jaques (a sort of Good Cop/ Bad Cop of a past era) question Lady Genevieve, the town's leader - in itself a sort of heresy since the role of leader is reserved for men. Genevieve tries to get in Neville's good graces, but it's Jaques who is clearly the danger. Schroeder does a great job at depicting the conflict and drama here, and though there's is no doubt where this is headed, it's an entertaining read all the same.
"Mathralon" by David Louis Edelman reads like an editorial about the lifecycle of a mineral that forms the sole basis for existence on the small moon that mines it. As such, it lacks both characters and plot, which is not a bad thing unto itself, but the text's meta-observation of that fact seems to break the editorial representation that was created, leaving it in a no-man's land between fiction and essay. But Edelman's prose is otherwise engaging and swift, and the situation that is ultimately outlined (the dangers of putting all your eggs in one basket) is a worthy premise.
Another story in Neal Asher's stream of light-hearted Masons Rats stories is "Autotractor". Like other stories in this series, farmer Mason has a problem to solve; this time from the bureaucracy of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries which cites Mason's population of rats as a health hazard. By this point, Mason has grown accustomed and even protective of the rats, a sentiment solidified when he realizes that they have created a distillery, the true hallmark of civilization. Asher creates some laugh-out-loud moments and many more smiles as Mason's rats (and the talking tractor that delivers lip service) seem to solve Mason's problem for him.
I had never read any of Michael Moorcock's Jerry Cornelius stories, though I have always wanted to. The novella presented here, "Modem Times," was therefore a welcome addition. But oh my! I quickly discovered that this is more literary exercise than story, something for which I was not at all prepared. Between the non-linear narrative, the slew of self-references that were surely lost on me, and the seemingly endless chain of plotless non-sequiters (both between passages and during a single conversation), I was hopelessly lost and uninterested. After a little Googling, I get the impression that the Jerry Cornelius stories are the kind you either get or don't. I'm afraid I don't get it.
On the face of it, "Point of Contact" by Dan Abnett is a first contact story. But rather than explain who the aliens were and what they did, the author goes through exhaustive lengths to explain what are not like and what did not happen. This was oddly entertaining; odd for its uneventful plot, but entertaining in that it lists just about every known sf-nal cliché. One wonders after reading it what the point was in writing a fantastic story of mundane events. Ah...now I see! (I think.) ![]()
Share:
|
Discussion (11)
| PermaLink
| Posted by John on Tuesday April 29, 2008 - 12:28 AM
| Category: Book Review
| © 2008 SF Signal
Share:
|
Discussion (0)
| PermaLink
| Posted by John on Tuesday April 29, 2008 - 12:16 AM
| Category: Tidbits
| © 2008 SF Signal
The text of Daniel Abraham's story "The Cambist and Lord Iron: A Fairy Tale of Economics" is now online.
This is the final short fiction nominee to be made available online. For a complete list of short fiction nominees, with links to the corresponding online versions, see our earlier post of 2008 Hugo Award Nominees.
[via John Klima, editor or Logorrhea, the anthology where the story first appeared.]
Share:
|
Discussion (4)
| PermaLink
| Posted by John on Monday April 28, 2008 - 6:52 PM
| Category: Awards
| © 2008 SF Signal
Tonight is a special Star Wars themed Deal or No Deal, and to put everyone in the mood, we have a special sneak peek at the DoND models in their Slave Princess Leia outfits. Yeowch. Middle-age geeks everywhere should tune in tonight.
And, you're welcome John.
Share:
|
Discussion (4)
| PermaLink
| Posted by JP on Monday April 28, 2008 - 3:16 PM
| Category: TV
| © 2008 SF Signal
The nominees for the Sidewise Awards for Alternate History have been announced:
Best Short Form:
Share:
|
Discussion (0)
| PermaLink
| Posted by John on Monday April 28, 2008 - 12:12 PM
| Category: Awards
| © 2008 SF Signal
The summer movie season is fast approaching, in fact starting this Friday. As usual, Hollywood has scheduled their blockbuster movies for the summer, and this year, the slate is chock full of science fiction and fantasy films. So many, in fact, that starting this week, you could, if you wanted, see a new SF/F movie every Friday through the end of July (with a couple of exceptions). Now that is a lot of movies, but does the SF/F movie fan have reason to celebrate or is this just another summer of cliches and remakes?
We here at SF Signal have put together this handy guide of the summer movies in the hopes of helping you decide, which, if any, you want to see and which to steer clear of. There's even a handy box office quiz at the end so read on!
Speed Racer (May 9) - Sign it with me: "Here he comes, here comes Speed Racer, he's a demon on wheels!" Hot on the heels of Iron Man comes this adapation of the famous kids show. I know I am certainly looking forward to this one. The visuals alone are enough to get me into the theater. Add in some 'car fu' and I'm expecting to be blown away by the cars, tracks and effects. Of course, to be really good, the story needs to be strong. I'm not expecting anything in depth here, just something to push the movie along. Remember, the TV show was full of illogical and silly stories, so why expect a 'serious' movie here? And a PG rating means it will be somewhat family friendly, so I'll be taking my two older sons with me to the theater. That alone makes Speed Racer a worthy summer movie. How many other movies will be this older kid (8 - 11) friendly? Will Speed be a demon on the silver screen? Two words: Mammoth car. Stay tuned.
Prince Caspian (May 16) - The Chronicles of Narnia juggernaut assaults the theaters with the second installment of C.S. Lewis' classic fantasy series. Just like the first movie, Prince Caspian stars several lesser, or no name, actors in the title roles. That didn't hurt the first movie, and I don't expect it to hurt this one. The success of the first movie almost insures this one will also be successful. Carrying a PG rating as well (so two family friendly movies!) so I may end up taking my boys to see this one as well. I'm expecting a decent film, if not spectacular, much like the first.
Indy Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (May 22) - THE summer movie for me. The movie that's been 20 years in the making finally makes its debut and I will be there, day one, even if I have to fight the crowds. Is this just latent fanboyism talking? Could be. However, I hae faith that Spielberg and Ford can continue the Indy magic for one more movie. Add in the crystal skulls, Roswell, and Nazis, and I can hardly wait. The only misgivings I have concern the use of Shia Le Beuf or whatever his name is. Will he be a worthy addition or turn into a Jar Jar clone? For all our sakes, let's pray against Jar Jar. This one is PG-13, so we'll probably getting more violence and language. Just like the earlier movies. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go re-watch the first three, just because.
The Incredible Hulk (June 13) - How do you know when your first movie sucks? When the sequel is actually a re-imagining of the first! Such is the case with The Incredible Hulk, setting the world record for the fastest franchise reboot in history. Nice. I had no desire to see the first movie, and even less to see this one. That's right, if you can have a negative desire to see a movie, I have it for this one. Let me know how it is, won't you?
Wall-E (June 27) - The second 'must see' movie on my list, and yet another family friendly one to boot. And even more, Wall-E is the most unabashedly science fiction of the lot. Depopulated future Earth? Check. Humanity living in giant spaceships in the depths of space? Check. One cute, overachieving robot with more personality in one 2-minute trailer than many actors have in a career? Check. Maybe Wall-E should give lessons to Keanu Reeves. In any case, I'm expecting Wall-E to help Pixar regain its box office mojo after it's relatively lackluster movies Cars and Ratatoullie. Another day one movie for me, but the science fiction elements may scare some people away. Don't let that happen to you or anyone one you know!
Wanted (June 27) - Wanted is based on the comic series by Mark Millar. Sadly, and not unexpectedly, Hollywood jettisoned the awesome setting, the evil super heroes win, and replaced it with some quasi-mystical secret society working for the 'Fates'. Even starring Angelina Jolie and her lips can't get me excited about this one. The trailers pretty much show a movie that is all action sequences punctuated by psychological mumbo jumbo scenes meant to explain the setting. Yawn. The star here is the red Dodge Viper and it's uncanny Mach 5 impersonation. This is a rental.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (July11) - Fresh off his Nebula win for Pan's Labyrinth, Guillermo Del Toro returns to direct the sequel to the first Hellboy. The first one was O.K. when I rented it. This one may be worth a gander in the movie theater, especially if I can con Tim or Kevin into going with me. And check out that ginormous hand cannon Hellboy is using. Awesome.
Meet Dave (July 11) - Oh goody, yet another crappy Eddie Murphy movie. As if Pluto Nash wasn't horrific enough, Murphy has decided to grace us with an expansion on the alien in Men In Black with Meet Dave, where Eddie Murphy's character is actually a spaceship crewed by little aliens. They stroll around New York, getting involved in all sorts of situations where 'hilarity' is sure to ensue. Sue is what the movie going public ought to do, or at least get a restraining order against Murphy to keep him at least 500 feet from a movie camera. This one doesn't look good at all. Aside from the natty white suit that is.
The Dark Knight (July 18) - I watched the first movie on DVD and I was disappointed that I hadn't made the effort to see it on the big screen. I'll definitely make that effort for The Dark Knight. If the trailer is anything to go by, this should be a rockin' good time, with Heath Ledger's Joker stealing the show. The third movie on my 'must see' list.
The X-Files (July 25) - You've waited a long time X-Files fans, and your wait is finally over. Well, on July 25th. Mulder and Scully return to the big screen, hopefully to explain what's happened to them after the end of the TV series. Sadly, or not depending on your point of view, this movie won't tackle the Gordian knot that is the show's alien invasion mythology. Instead, it will be a standalone movie that "takes the complicated relationship between Fox Mulder (Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Anderson) in unexpected directions." I've even seen rumors of Chupacabra. I don't know what to think. Well, yes I do. I think X-Files works better on the small screen than the big. We'll see.
Babylon A.D. (Aug 29) - Vin Diesel and Michelle Yeoh (all right Tim!) star in this sci fi actioner about a woman, who is host to an organism that a cult wants to harvest to produce a geneticaly engineered messiah. Um, O.K. The trailer is mildly interesting, but this is going to have to get a lot more compelling (Ms. Yeoh not withstanding) before I'll even think about going to the theater to see this one.
There you have it, all the SF/F movies that will be appearing at a large cineplex near you this summer. Which ones do you want to go see and why?
Remember I said there'd be a quiz? Here it is. Time to put on your thinking caps and answer the following questions:
Share:
|
Discussion (9)
| PermaLink
| Posted by JP on Monday April 28, 2008 - 12:25 AM
| Category: Movies
| © 2008 SF Signal
Several weeks ago, I purchased tickets to this year's Nebula Weekend since it was being held within driving distance. I must admit that I bought them in ignorance. I expected it to be more like a convention, with sessions and other related programming set up. Afterwards, I found out that it wasn't like that at all. It was geared more towards the SFWA taking care of business and its members schmoozing at the hotel bar. After some drawn-out indecision I decided not to go. But at the last minute, I decided what the heck. At least I would be able to meet some folks who I only knew through email.
I'm glad I went because it turned out to be a whole load of fun. It was actually a good thing that there were no sessions because that meant more face time with people.
In the order they happened, here are some of the weekend's highlights:
It was hard not go all super-fanboy on everyone, especially as the setting was more social than anything else. So I saw some folks that I wanted to meet, but didn't, like Michael Moorcock, Connie Willis, Joe Haldeman, Nalo Hopkinson, Michael Chabon, Bruce Sterling, Walter Jon Williams, Gordon van Gelder, Karen Joy Fowler, Jack McDevitt, David Levine, Scott Edelman, and so many others.
I did not have full Internet access when I was there, but I did Twitter the Nebulas. Did anyone follow that? It was an interesting experiment, but Twittering an event is about the only really useful thing I can see about it. Seriously, does anyone want to know when I'm eating a sandwich? To be fair, I can kinda see it being a way for small groups to keep in touch.
All told, a fun weekend!
Share:
|
Discussion (8)
| PermaLink
| Posted by John on Monday April 28, 2008 - 12:22 AM
| Category: Events
| © 2008 SF Signal
Rich Horton has posted the table of contents of his propsed (but unforunately canceled) anthology, Space Opera. Too bad...it looked to be a good one.
Share:
|
Discussion (6)
| PermaLink
| Posted by John on Monday April 28, 2008 - 12:17 AM
| Category: Books
| © 2008 SF Signal
Share:
|
Discussion (0)
| PermaLink
| Posted by John on Monday April 28, 2008 - 12:10 AM
| Category: Tidbits
| © 2008 SF Signal

Share:
|
Discussion (0)
| PermaLink
| Posted by JP on Monday April 28, 2008 - 12:05 AM
| Category: Tube Bits
| © 2008 SF Signal
| (97 total votes) |
"A tough question, but I do think that Egghead, King Tut, the John Astin Riddler and the Lee Meriwether Catwoman are definitely 'second tier'. Since they have such a complex relationship, for me its really a tossup between the Kitt and Newmar Catwomans (Catwomen?)" - JvstinBe sure to visit our front page and vote in this week's poll about the 2008 Summer movie you are most anticipating!
"Julie Newmar for the win! But there were so MANY good villians, it's hard to choose. Otto Premiger as MR. Freeze, Liberace as the pianast and his evil twin, Roddy McDowall as the bookworm, Art Carney as The Archer, the list goes on and on. How they got these people to get onto such a oddball show was a mystery, but I'm glas they did." - Keith
"For me it was the Joker, though I hated the Penguin the most." - General X
Share:
|
Discussion (0)
| PermaLink
| Pos