Don D’Ammassa Launches Managansett Press
By Andrew Porter: Don D’Ammassa, who reviewed thousands of titles for Science Fiction Chronicle and still reviews books on his Critical Mass website, has launched Managansett Press, to release his own titles. He writes: The first three titles, available thru … Continue reading →
One If By Land Two If By Puppy 4/18
It’s a midnight ride for today’s Sad Puppy link roundup…. Brooke Gladstone on On The Media (WNYC) “The Sad Puppy Takeover” – April 17 The Hugo Awards are science fiction writing’s highest honor, and this year conservative fans, concerned with the liberal leanings … Continue reading →
Two Hugo Nominees Withdraw Their Stories
Hugo Award finalists Marko Kloos and Annie Bellett announced today they are withdrawing their stories from consideration. At this writing, the Sasquan Hugo administrator has yet to announce that the withdrawals have been accepted (although there is no reason to … Continue reading →
A: 451
Q: How many bookend pairs will be produced from the lumber salvaged from Ray Bradbury’s house? (Consider this a progress report about the plan to help more fans own a Bradbury keepsake.) [Thanks to John King Tarpinian for the item.] … Continue reading →
Tiptree Fellowships Created
Applications for the inaugural Tiptree Fellowships will open at WisCon 39 in May. The $500 fellowships will be awarded to two recipients each year who are advancing the Tiptree mission to support the development of new work, in any form … Continue reading →
Herb Trimpe (1939-2015)
By James H. Burns: Comics artist Herb Trimpe, who drew The Incredible Hulk for Marvel and was the first artist to draw Wolverine, died April 13. Herb was one of the Silver Age great artists at Marvel. This news makes … Continue reading →
There Will Be War, Again!
Jerry Pournelle’s There Will Be War series is returning to print. All nine volumes will be reissued by Castalia House in ebook and two-volume omnibus hardcovers. I’m glad to see that Dr. Pournelle, who I have now known over 40 … Continue reading →
Puppies Explain It All To You 4/17
Today a psychologist shut the doors of her virtual office after being deluged with requests for consultations by puppies. Mainstream punditry is catching up with the story. Yet there was an unusual number of conciliatory posts, too. A very large number … Continue reading →
Re-Entering The Lists: Measuring The Slates’ Impact on the Final Hugo Ballot
Now that Sasquan has made the final changes to the Hugo ballot required by withdrawals and eligibility rulings, it is time to update the scorecard for Sad Puppies 3 and Rabid Puppies. SAD PUPPIES 3: the 2015 Hugo slate Recommended 60 … Continue reading →
Richard L. Bare (1913-2015)
Richard Bare, director of hundreds of TV episodes including Twilight Zone’s “To Serve Man,” died March 28 at the age of 101. While attending the University of Southern California in 1932 he made “The Oval Portrait,” an adaptation of a … Continue reading →
Every Puppy Has Its Day 4/16
What European writers call the Hugo Awards “hack” is getting international coverage. Today’s roundup features quotes from Polish and German articles… or as close as Google Translate can get. There are geniuses who are mad, writers who are mad, and … Continue reading →
Sasquan Final Hugo Ballot Adds Novel Three-Body Problem, Short Story “Single Samurai”
In the wake of two authors pulling their nominated works from contention, Sasquan Hugo administrator John Lorentz has made two more adjustments and locked the final 2015 Hugo ballot. In the Best Novel category, The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu … Continue reading →
Alternate Tortoises and Taxes at the KGB Bar with James Morrow and Ken Liu
By Mark L. Blackman: On the evening of Wednesday, April 15, 2015 – Income Tax Day – the Fantastic Fiction Readings Series presented readings by acclaimed fantasy authors James Morrow and Ken Liu. So it was up the steep and … Continue reading →
Second Star Wars Teaser Trailer Drops
Star Wars: The Force Awakens, directed by J.J. Abrams, opens December 15, 2015. The new trailer features several familiar faces — but not all of them are alive! … Continue reading →
Ursa Major Awards Voting Closes
The 2014 Ursa Major Awards voting has concluded. Fred Patten reports 2,851 votes were cast this year as participation rebounded after several years in decline — sinking from 1,782 votes in 2012 to 1,113 votes in 2013, and 856 votes in 2014. The … Continue reading →
Missing Puppy Formation 4/15
Today there were major responses to a pair of Hugo nominees withdrawing their work from the ballot, Marko Kloos and Annie Bellett, which raised the temperature of the discussion even higher. John Scalzi comments on comparisons drawn between the eligibility … Continue reading →
Puppies To The Right of Them, Puppies To the Left of Them 4/14
Today leaders of the Sad Puppies and Rabid Puppies react to a ruling by the Hugo administrator that one work from each of their slates is ineligible and has been dropped from the Hugo final ballot. David Gerrold and Connie Willis … Continue reading →
Milton Delugg (1918-2015)
Milton Delugg, who died April 6 at the age of 96, may have been better known for accompanying Al Jolson on the accordion, co-writing Nat King Cole’s hit “Orange Colored Sky” and Perry Como’s polka “Hoop Dee Doo,” or serving … Continue reading →
Tracks on The Puppy Trail 4/13
What are Hugos for? These awards must have some value says Jim Van Pelt, and he proceeds to define it. Andrew M. offers an answer of his own. There are peacemakers, and others more interested in the question Frank Capra once … Continue reading →
Sasquan Replaces Two Ineligible Nominees on Hugo Ballot
Sasquan, the 2015 Worldcon, has made changes to the final Hugo ballot to reflect eligibility rulings by Hugo administrator John Lorentz. “Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus” by John C. Wright was previously published on a web site in 2013 … Continue reading →
2014 Aurealis Awards Announced
The winners of the 2014 Aurealis Awards were announced in Canberra on April 11. BEST FANTASY NOVEL Dreamer’s Pool, Juliet Marillier (Pan Macmillan Australia) BEST FANTASY SHORT STORY “St Dymphna’s School for Poison Girls”, Angela Slatter (The Review of Australian Fiction, … Continue reading →
Sasquan Numbers Blow Up
Sasquan now has 7000 members! pic.twitter.com/l5b8LXgUHN — sasquansf (@sasquansf) April 13, 2015 Sasquan, the 2015 Worldcon, has released another membership update hard on the heels of the one reported here the other day. The con now has 7,016 members, including … Continue reading →
Learning A New Word
By James H. Burns: Is it possible for a new turn of phrase to enter fandom, or pop culturish affiliated events, without realizing it? Sunday, when visiting MOCCA Fest, the annual two-day festival sponsored by Manhattan’s Society of Illustrators to … Continue reading →
Old Age of Ultron
While preoccupied with puppies I overlooked a new promo for The Avengers: Age of Ultron, the “final official trailer.” Here’s also a clip from the movie that just dropped today. … Continue reading →
Ant Man Trailer
Ant Man — due in theaters in time for summer picnics, July 17. … Continue reading →
Le Guin Dramatizations on BBC Radio 4
Two classic works by Ursula K. Le Guin adapted by BBC Radio 4 will air in April, The Left Hand of Darkness and The Wizard of Earthsea. Accompanying these programs is a documentary about Le Guin’s influence on science fiction … Continue reading →
Benjanun Sriduangkaew Update
The literary comeback of Benjanun Sriduangkaew continues in the April issue of Clarkesworld with “The Petals Abide”: In the womb-tank coded with thought and memory, Twoseret learned three things: that her life will be full of peace, that she will never die, and … Continue reading →
Growls of the Day 4/12
Will George R.R. Martin accept Vox Day’s challenge to debate? John C. Wright asks, “Did I get too many nominations?” and names folks he thinks are guiltier of that than he is. Kevin Standlee warns the future is now — … Continue reading →
Unpublished C.S. Lewis Letter to Appear
Next week’s issue of the Journal of Inklings Studies will bring to light an unpublished letter from C.S. Lewis to Owen Barfield (1949). The letter was — recently discovered at the Bodleian Archives in Oxford by Tiffany Martin, concerning his … Continue reading →
Final 2015 TAFF Voting Detail
Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund co-administrators Jim Mowatt and Curt Phillips have published the final voting statistics (one vote different that reported here earlier) plus the traditional geographic breakdown in TAFFworld #3. The newsletter also lists all the voters. Voting Europe NA Other Total … Continue reading →
New Sasquan Membership Totals
Sasquan, the 2015 Worldcon, has updated its membership numbers through March 31. There are 5,466 total members, which includes 3,240 attending and 1,948 supporting. This compares to the figures reported as of January 31 as shown: Sasquan Total Members 1/31/2015 … Continue reading →
Bookends Made From Salvaged Bradbury House Lumber Will Be Offered
When Ray Bradbury’s home was torn down in January, apart from mourning the result, fans’ most common plea was to have some fragment of the house as a Bradbury keepsake. The Los Angeles location of The ReUse People did the deconstruction. They … Continue reading →
Introducing Ambassador Godzilla
Godzilla has a new job. “Until now Godzilla has been simply destroying, but we hope it will now contribute to the prosperity of Kabukicho and Shinjuku,” said Minami Ichikawa, head of Toho’s movie division, at a ceremony ahead of the … Continue reading →
The Avengers Age of Ultron Cereal
By James H. Burns: It’s the Limited Time Hero Edition: a sweetened cereal with marshmallows… In fact, they’re “Avenger Team Marshmallows.” From Kellogg’s. … Continue reading →
