Chinese Science Fiction Database Recommended List 2023

Report by: Arthur Liu, Sanfeng Zhang and Shaoyan Hu (translator): Recently, the Chinese Science Fiction Database (CSFDB) released its annual science fiction & fantasy recommendation list for 2023.

The list is divided into 7 categories: Domestic/Translated Novels, Domestic/Translated Stories, Anthologies, Collections, and Related Works. A total of 59 entries are selected, covering 11 countries/regions. Hopefully some of these could get translated into English.

The complete list in bilingual form is as follows:

DOMESTIC NOVELS

  • We Live in Nanjing, by Tian Rui Shuo Fu (CITIC Press, January 2023)
  • The City in the Well, by Liu Yang (People’s Literature Publishing House, January 2023)
  • Ban’s Cat, by Lu Ban (Chongqing Publishing House, August 2023)

TRANSLATED NOVELS

  • Qualityland, by Marc-Uwe Kling, translated by Wang Bingyi (Sichuan Literature & Art Publishing House, January 2023)
  • Infinite Jest, by David Foster Wallace, translated by Yu Bingxia (Shanghai People’s Publishing House, April 2023)
  • Mockingbird, by Walter Tevis, translated by Gen Hui (People’s Literature Publishing House, May 2023)
  • Latium, by Romain Lucazeau, translated by Zhu Qianlan, Yu Ning, Wang Shaoxiong, Xue Simin, Suo Yuankai (Zhejiang Literature & Art Publishing House, March 2023)
  • Dying Inside, by Robert Silverberg, translated by Feng Xinyi (Sichuan Science & Technology Publishing House, September 2023)
  • Babel, by R.F. Kuang (CITIC Press, October 2023)
  • Revelation Space, by Alastair Reynolds, translated by He Rui (Hunan Literature & Art Publishing House, September 2023)

DOMESTIC STORIES

  • Sailing in the Sea of Whales, by Ge Ling Lan (Science Fiction World magazine, January 2023)
  • In Death, We Seek Companionship, by Han Song (Non-Existent SFF; January 22, 2023)
  • The Corrector, by Wang Xiaohai (Non-Existent SFF, February 27-28, 2023)
  • Degradation, by Zhou Yuyang (Fiction World magazine, March 2023)
  • Cao Yue, by Tan Que (Non-Existent SFF, April 4, 2023)
  • Abundance of Meat, by Cai Jianfeng (Non-Existent SFF, May 22-23, 2023)
  • The Palette of Stars, by Jiang Yitan (Original Fiction Monthly magazine, June 2023)
  • Calamity of Mountains and Seas, by Lin Shuo (Non-Existent SFF, July 24-26, 2023)
  • The Inverted Tower of Babel, by Wang Zhenzhen (Galaxy’s Edge Vol.15: The Inverted Tower of Babel, edited by Yang Feng, New Star Press, September 2023)
  • Flight on the Land, by Bai Shu (Literature Port magazine, September-October, 2023)
  • The Chant of Water Dragon, by Bai Fen (Young Writers magazine, October 2023)
  • “Burning Poems”, by Liu Tianyi, Wang Zhenzhen (Non-Existent SFF, November 13, 2023)

TRANSLATED STORIES

  • Petra, by Greg Bear, translated by Zhang Yi (Mirrorshades: The Cyberpunk Anthology edited by Bruce Sterling, Beijing Times Chinese Press, April 2023)
  • Memories of the Future, by Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky, translated by Wang Yixiao, Feng Dong (Memories of the Future, Guangxi Science & Technology Publishing House, January 2023)
  • Oceanic, by Greg Egan, translated by Zhang Han (Oceanic: The Best of Greg Egan, Vol.1, New Star Press, January 2023)
  • Inside Job, by Connie Willis, translated by Chen Jie (The Best of Connie Willis: Award-Winning Stories, Sichuan Science & Technology Publishing House, November 2023)
  • Hélicéenne, by Tristan Garcia, translated by Wang Meng (World Literature magazine, February 2023)
  • A Letter to Sylvia Plath: Soul of Dolphin (Died 2003, Iraq), by Ceridwen Dovey, translated by Liu Zhigang (World Literature magazine, October 2023)
  • Dunnage for the Soul, by Robert Reed, translated by Qin Hongwei (Science Fiction World: Translations magazine, September 2023)
  • Love in the Time of Immuno-Sharing, by Andy Dudak, translated by Gao Qipeng (World Literature magazine, June 2023)
  • Albedo Season, by Ray Nayler, translated by Liu Ruixin (Science Fiction World: Translations magazine, January 2023)
  • The Beast Adjoins, by Ted Kosmatka, translated by Xu Yan (Science Fiction World: Translations magazine, September 2023)
  • Masquerade Season, by Pemi Aguda, translated by Renne (Science Fiction World: Translations magazine, August 2023)
  • Timekeepers’ Symphony, by Ken Liu, translated by Geng Hui (IWC Wechat Public Account, December 20, 2022 – January 12, 2023)

ANTHOLOGIES

  • Adventures in Space: New Short Stories by Chinese and English Science Fiction Writers edited by Yao Haijun & Patrick Parrinder, translated by Lu Nan, Xiong Yuejian, Chen Yongrong, Liu Weimin (People’s Literature Publishing House, January 2023)
  • Mirrorshades: The Cyberpunk Anthology edited by Bruce Sterling, translated by Zhang Yi (Beijing Times Chinese Press, April 2023)
  • First Time (はじめての) edited by Suirinsha (水鈴社), translated by Ju Su (Sichuan People’s Publishing House, June 2023)
  • The Decameron Project: 29 New Stories from the Pandemic, edited by New York Times, translated by Lu Dongxu (Hunan Literature & Art Publishing House, July 2023)
  • The Songs of Space Engineers edited by Liu Cixin (New Star Press, October 2023)

COLLECTIONS

  • The Best of Greg Egan (3 vols) by Greg Egan, translated by Zhang Han, A Gu, Xiao Aoran, Liu Wenyuan, Lu Dongxu, Chen Yan, Yu Baichuan, Yu Xiyun, Chen Yang (New Star Press, January 2023)
  • Memories of the Future, by Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky, translated by Wang Yixiao, Fengdong (Guangxi Science & Technology Publishing House, January 2023)
  • The Serpentine Band, by Congyun “Muming” Gu (Shanghai Literature & Art Publishing House, February 2023)
  • Weird Words from Nowhere, by Clark Ashton Smith, translated by Ghost Trumpeter (Anhui Literature & Art Publishing House, July 2023)
  • City, by Clifford D. Simak, translated by Chen Yunru (Sichuan Science & Technology Publishing House, September 2023)
  • Unwitting Street, by Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky, translated by Wang Yixiao, Fengdong (Guangxi Science & Technology Publishing House, October 2023)
  • A Collapse of Horses, by Brian Evenson, translated by Fu Jingying (Writer Publishing House, December 2023)
  • The Complete Stories, Vol. 1, by Isaac Asimov, translated by Lao Guang (Jiangsu Phoenix Literature & Art Publishing Ltd., December 2023)
  • The Best of Kim Stanley Robinson, by Kim Stanley Robinson, translated by Cui Gong Rong Xiu, Liang Shuang, Xiao Lei (Sichuan Science & Technology Publishing House, December 2023)

RELATED WORKS

  • The Anime Machine, by Thomas Lamarre, translated by Zhang Chang (Shanghai Jiao Tong University Publishing House, January 2023)
  • The Nature of Tomorrow: A History of the Environmental Future, by Michael Rawson, translated by Song Guangrong (China Translation & Publishing House, January 2023)
  • The Romantic Machine: Utopian Science and Technology after Napoleon, by John Tresch, translated by Liu Huining, Shi Jixin (China Science & Technology Publishing House, January 2023)
  • Chinese Science Fiction: An Oral History, Vol.1-Vol.3, edited by Yang Feng (Chengdu Times Publishing House, Vol.1: February 2023; Vol.2-3: November, 2023)
  • Words Are My Matter, by Ursula K. Le Guin, translated by Xia Jia (Henan Literature & Art Publishing House, April 2023)
  • The Reason for the Darkness of the Night: Edgar Allan Poe and the Forging of American Science, by John Tresch, translated by Li Yongxue (China Translation & Publishing House, July 2023)
  • The SF Spirit: Komatsu Sakyo Autobiography (SF), by Komatsu Sakyo (Sichuan Science & Technology Publishing House, August 2023)
  • Father of the Galactic Railroad (銀河鉄道の父), by Kadoi Yoshinobu, translated by Li Oulin (People’s Literature Publishing House, August 2023)
  • The Nolan Variations: The Movies, Mysteries, and Marvels of Christopher Nolan, by Tom Shone, translated by Li Sixue (Democracy & Construction Press, September 2023)
  • Album Calvino, edited by Luca Baranelli & Ernesto Ferrero, translated by Bi Yanhong (Yilin Press, October 2023)
  • Unlocking the Future: Urban Visions in Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction, by Luo Xiaomin (Shanghai Bookstore Publishing House, November 2023; Routledge, April 2023)
  • Zero Gravity, Vol.12 – 13 (World Science Fiction special issue) edited by Riverflow, proofread by Riverflow & Ling Shizhen

本土长篇小说

  • 天瑞说符《我们生活在南京》(中信出版社,2023年1月)
  • 刘洋《井中之城》(人民文学出版社,2023年1月)
  • 鲁般《班的猫》(重庆出版社,2023年8月)

海外长篇小说

  • [] 马克·乌韦·克林《未来之城》,王柄熠 译(四川文艺出版社,2023年1月)
  • [] 大卫·福斯特·华莱士《无尽的玩笑》,俞冰夏 译(上海人民出版社,2023年4月)
  • [] 罗曼·吕卡佐《拉丁姆》,朱倩兰、余宁、王少雄、薛思敏、索元楷 译(浙江文艺出版社,2023年5月)
  • [] 沃尔特·特维斯《知更鸟》,耿辉 译(人民文学出版社,2023年5月)
  • [] 罗伯特·西尔弗伯格《内心垂死》,冯新仪 译(四川科学技术出版社,2023年9月)
  • [] 匡灵秀《巴别塔》,陈阳 译(中信出版社,2023年10月)
  • [] 阿拉斯泰尔·雷诺兹《天启空间》,何锐 译(湖南文艺出版社,2023年10月)

本土中短篇小说

  • 格陵兰《鲸海浮舟》(《科幻世界》2023年01期)
  • 韩松《人死时是需要陪伴的》(“不存在科幻”公众号,2023年1月22日)
  • 汪小海《修正者》(“不存在科幻”公众号,2023年3月27-28日连载)
  • 周于旸《退化论》(《小说界》2023年02期)
  • 谈雀《草月》(“不存在科幻”公众号,2023年4月10日)
  • 蔡建峰《大肉》(“不存在科幻”公众号,2023年5月22-23日连载)
  • 蒋一谈《星星的调色盘》(《小说月报·原创版》2023年06期)
  • 林烁《山海劫》(“不存在科幻”公众号,2023年7月24-26日连载)
  • 王真祯《倒悬的巴别塔》(收录于《银河边缘015:倒悬的巴别塔》,新星出版社,2023年9月)
  • 白树《陆上飞行》(《文学港》2023年09-10期连载)
  • 白贲《水龙吟》(《青年作家》2023年10期)
  • 刘天一,王真祯《焚诗记》(“不存在科幻”公众号,2023年11月13日)

海外中短篇小说

  • [] 格雷格·贝尔《彼得拉》,张羿 译([美] 布鲁斯·斯特林 编《镜影:赛博朋克文学选》,北京时代华文书局,2023年4月)
  • [] 西吉茨蒙德·科尔扎诺夫斯基《未来记忆》,王一笑、冯冬 译(《未来记忆》,广西科学技术出版社,2023年1月)
  • [] 格雷格·伊根《祈祷之海》,张涵 译(《祈祷之海:格雷格·伊根经典科幻三重奏》,新星出版社,2023年1月)
  • [] 康妮·威利斯《内贼难防》,陈捷 译(《烈火长空:康妮·威利斯杰作选》,四川科学技术出版社,2023年11月)
  • [] 特里斯坦·加西亚《爱丽司安》,王猛 译(《世界文学》2023年01期)
  • [] 瑟立文·达维《致西尔维娅·普拉斯的一封信:海豚魂(死于2003年,伊拉克)》,刘志刚 译(《世界文学》2023年05期)
  • [] 罗伯特·里德《灵魂的垫料》,秦宏伟 译(《科幻世界·译文版》2023年09期)
  • [] 安迪·杜达克《爱在免疫共享时》,高麒鹏 译(《世界文学》2023年03期)
  • [] ·内勒《反照季》,刘瑞新 译(《科幻世界·译文版》2023年01期)
  • [] 特德·科斯玛特卡《与兽同行》,许言 译(《科幻世界·译文版》2023年09期)
  • [尼日利亚] 佩米·阿古达《假面时节》,Renne 译(《科幻世界·译文版》2023年08期)
  • [] 刘宇昆《计时器交响曲》,耿辉 译(“IWC万国表”公众号,2022年12月20日-2023年1月12日连载)

多人小说选集

  • 姚海军、[] 帕特里克·帕林德 《潮166:光年之外》,鲁南、陈雍容、熊月剑、刘为民 英译中,[美] 亚里克斯·伍德恩德 中译英(人民文学出版社,2023年1月)
  • [] 布鲁斯·斯特林 《镜影:赛博朋克文学选》,张羿 译(北京时代华文书局,2023年4月)
  • [] 水铃社 《第一次》,鞠素 译(四川人民出版社,2023年6月)
  • [] 纽约时报杂志 主编 《十日谈:新冠时期故事集》,鲁冬旭 译(湖南文艺出版社,2023年7月)
  • 刘慈欣 《宇宙工程师之歌:中国工程师硬核科幻精选集》(新星出版社,2023年10月)

个人小说选集

  • [] 格雷格·伊根《祈祷之海》《快乐的理由》《三进数世界》,阿古、陈阳、鲁冬旭、刘文元、萧傲然、张涵、陈岩、于佰川、余曦赟 译(新星出版社,2023年1月)
  • [] 西吉茨蒙德·科尔扎诺夫斯基《未来记忆》,王一笑、冯冬 译(广西科学技术出版社,2023年1月)
  • 慕明《宛转环》(上海文艺出版社,2023年2月)
  • [] C.A.史密斯《虚境奇谭:C.A.史密斯克苏鲁神话佳作集》,无形的吹奏者 译(安徽文艺出版社,2023年7月)
  • [] 克利福德·西马克《荒城》,陈韵如 译(四川科学技术出版社,2023年8月)
  • [] 西吉茨蒙德·科尔扎诺夫斯基《不知情大街》,王一笑、冯冬 译(广西科学技术出版社,2023年10月)
  • [] 布莱恩·埃文森《瘫倒的马:埃文森黑暗故事集》,傅婧瑛 译(作家出版社,2023年12月)
  • [] 艾萨克·阿西莫夫《阿西莫夫科幻短篇全集1:最后的问题》,老光 译(江苏凤凰文艺出版社,2023年12月)
  • [] ·斯坦利·罗宾逊《金·斯坦利·罗宾逊短篇集》,崔龚荣秀、梁爽、小酹 译(四川科学技术出版社,2023年12月)

相关作品

  • [] 托马斯·拉马尔《动画机器:动画的媒体理论》,张长 译(上海交通大学出版社,2022年12月)
  • [] 迈克尔·罗森《未来叙事:明日环境史》,宋广蓉 译(中译出版社,2022年12月)
  • [] 约翰·特雷希《浪漫机器:拿破仑之后的乌托邦科学与技术》,刘慧宁、石稷馨 译(中国科学技术出版社,2023年1月)
  • 杨枫 主编 《中国科幻口述史》(成都时代出版社,第1卷 2023年2月;第2-3卷 2023年11月)
  • [] 厄休拉·勒古恩《我以文字为业》,夏笳 译(河南文艺出版社,2023年4月)
  • [] 约翰·特雷什《爱伦·坡传:点亮美国科学体系的暗夜灯塔》,李永学 译(中译出版社,2023年7月)
  • [] 小松左京《SF魂:小松左京自传》,孟庆枢 译(四川科学技术出版社,2023年8月)
  • [] 门井庆喜《银河铁道之父》,李讴琳 译(人民文学出版社,2023年8月)
  • [] 汤姆·肖恩《诺兰变奏曲》,李思雪 译(民主与建设出版社,2023年9月)
  • [] 卢卡·巴拉内利 / 埃内斯托·费里罗《生活在树上:卡尔维诺传》,毕艳红 译(译林出版社,2023年10月)
  • 罗小茗《解锁未来:当代中国科幻小说中的城市想象》(上海书店出版社,2023年11月)
  • 《零重力报》第12-13期:世界科幻特辑,河流 主编,河流、零始真 编辑审校(2023年10月)

Emails From Lake Woe-Is-Me — Fit the Hundred & Ninth

[Introduction: Melanie Stormm continues her humorous series of posts about the misdirected emails she’s been getting. Stormm is a multiracial writer who writes fiction, poetry, and audio theatre. Her novella, Last Poet of Wyrld’s End is available through Candlemark & Gleam. She is currently the editor at the SPECk, a monthly publication on speculative poetry by the SFPA.]

AN AUDIENCE OF ONE

Hello, All! Melanie here.

The roads for an up-and-coming writer and an up-and-coming musical act are similar. The highways are abundant with highs and lows, and all its drainage ditches overflow with uncertainty and cast off dreams.

At the start of the year, Tryxy and Writer X wished to succeed in their respective artistic pursuits, and X also hoped to shed a few pounds. Since then, X has been gung ho about getting Tryxy a steady stream of gigs, however humble. But Tryxy has grappled with the herculean task of writing enough original music to fill an entire set.

When last we left Writer X, the demon Tryxy, #bestkitten, and X’s boyfriend Tod Boadkins, Tryxy and #bestkitten’s band, DemonKitty, had a gig at a bus stop. With just five songs, DemonKitty couldn’t fill the hour they had been booked for.

As fate would have it, their set was unexpectedly interrupted by a lost A & R man from a renowned music label in Boston. Yes, A & R reps still play a crucial role in today’s direct-to-audience music industry, much like acquisition editors in the publishing world. This unexpected encounter could potentially change the course of Tryxy and Writer X’s journey.

DemonKitty was invited to Boston this week to play for the A & R rep (named Arnold Rolfson because—according to X—that’s what “A & R” stands for.)

Whatever wariness I have about music labels, I’m excited for DemonKitty. Of the hundreds of thousands of bands out there dreaming of the big time, few will ever get so lucky a break. But there’s also a danger to getting your lucky break before you’re ready for it.

Without further ado…


Subject: Cat-urday Comfort Fest!!!!!!!

Dear Gladys,

I’m writing to cordially invite you to our Comfort Fest this Saturday. I’ll just need you to bring a few things which I’ll detail later so that you don’t forget.

We are on our way back from Boston. My boyfriend, award nominated fantasy writer Tod Boadkins, is driving and Tryxy and #bestkitten are in a ramen coma in the back seat so I’m free to write you.

I am very proud of Tryxy. It has been a big week for him and that’s the most important thing. Today we all learned that playing music is pretty much the same thing as writing SFF except that they are completely different.

It all started on our way down to Boston when we entered gridlocked traffic as soon as we crossed the boundary of New Hampshire into Masshole-landia. It’s incredible how different the two states are!!!!!! On the New Hampshire side of the border, its sprawling highways, pine trees, mooses, and sasquatches, but the second you cross into Massachusetts, BAM! the roads shrink, pot holes mouths open and devour cars at random, spitting out shocks and suspension all over the place, and storm clouds roll in with eldritch horrors flinging madness from the skies.

While waiting for the DOT to clear a misplaced Shoggoth from I-93, Tryxy started fretting again about the fact that he only has five songs and what if that isn’t enough for Arnold Rolfson and he completely blows it??? To make matters worse, he was EXTREMELY NERVOUS about having to play a show for just one person.

It was so bad, we had to let him out of the car several times to upchuck his hot cheetos in a drainage ditch full of natty ice cans, cynicism and broken dreams. 

That’s when my boyfriend, award nominated fantasy writer Tod Boadkins, decided to give Tryxy a little advice.

“You know, an audience of one isn’t a bad thing, Tryxy,” he said. “In fact, an audience of one is all you need to write a story. Maybe that can be true for playing a show, too! When I’m getting ready to write, I pick one person—just one person—that I’m going to write this story for and then I tell the story in the way I think they would like it. And sometimes that one person you’re writing for can be you.”

“Ohhhhhh, why did you have to bring up writing??????” Tryxy wailed and tumbled out of the car again to make another deposit in the wildlife.

You see, Galdsy, not only has Tryxy been nervous about performing for Arnold Rolfson, he’s also had a bad case of writer’s block. Every time he thinks about writing another song as good as “Ninevah Burns In My Soul” or “Meow” or “Meow Meow,” he gets nauseous.

However, I couldn’t let my boyfriend’s silly advice be the last thing Tryxy heard!!!!

I vehemently disagree with writing to an audience of one!!!!

I mean, if all you ever want to be is an award nominated fantasy writer, maybe writing to an audience of one is enough for you, but if you want to be the next big epic fantasy writer of all time LIKE ME!!!!! you have to write stories that are all things to all people!!!!!!!!

“Tryxy, what you need to do is play for the whole world!!!” I said as soon as he got back in the car and rinsed the bile from his teeth.

“I only have five songs,” he moaned. “I can’t even play longer than twenty minutes.” And he dumped his head in his lap.

“What if you just play the five songs really really really slow?” asked my boyfriend.

We all thought that might be a plan.

Seven hours later, we had crossed twenty miles and finally reached Boston where we drove around in endless loops of one way streets until we found our destination: a squalid little warehouse pitched on some desolate corner of Mass Ave.

Arnold Rolfson greeted us at the door with a freshly waxed handlebar mustache and a cloud of weed. He bowed ostentatiously and told Tryxy how excited he was for DemonKitty to come down and play for him and how his music label could take them places they’d never dream of going—like playing Arkham or Miskatonic University!

“Hey! I go to Miskatonic University!” cried Tryxy.

But Arnold Rolfson wasn’t listening. He was texting someone on his phone. He waved a hand at us for us to follow and we awkwardly shuffled after him carrying Tryxy’s drums and #bestkitten’s microphone. Tryxy tried asking Arnodl who else played at Miskatonic U but Arnold just waved him away and kept texting. Tryxy gave me a round-eyed look of uncertainty.

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” I whispered.

Arnold Rolfson waved us into a little black room with a tiny stage where Tryxy and #bestkitten set up. Then Arnold said, “Just give me a half hour of your best stuff. No need to play too long.”

And Tryxy gave me another round-eyed look and his face covered with a pale sheen of sweat. I was afraid he’d let go of some more hot cheetos!!!!!

But I had nothing to worry about Gladys!!!!!! Because DEMONKITTY PLAYED THEIR HEARTS OUT FOR NINETEEN WHOLE MINUTES!!!!!!!! I’ve never seen them play so good!!!!!! THEY WERE AMAZING!!!!!! Tryxy really took my advice to heart and played for THE WHOLE WORLD!!!!!

But in the end, I wasn’t sure Arnold Rolfson even saw it, he was so busy looking down at his phone, the reflection of blue light shimmering on his waxy mustache.

“What’s your next song?” asked Arnold.

“T-that’s a-all o-of t-them?” mewed Tryxy.

Arnold pulled his mouth and his mustache into a frown. “That wasn’t even twenty minutes and I didn’t hear a single.”

Tryxy was crestfallen.

And then Arnold Rolfson lit up like lightning struck his brains. “HEY! How about this? Tell you what I’ll do. I have a bunch of original material I’VE written on Garage Band. Excellent stuff. All of it slaps. How about DemonKitty switches out and plays MY music? That could be a good deal for you. But I keep the publishing.”

I’m not sure what Tryxy said in return because I had unconsciously picked up a folding chair and was preparing to bring it down soundly on Arnold Rolfson’s head when my boyfriend, award nominated fantasy writer Tod Boadkins, wrestled it from my grasp and secured me in a half nelson.

Needless to say, the only way to end that kind of day was to drown our disappointments in all the ramen and boba tea we could get our hands on!!!!! Sometimes, it’s just not fair that people don’t get what you’re doing or that they pretend to care but they don’t. But like Tryxy and #bestkitten said after our fifteenth ramen egg, “At least I’m doing it with my friends.”

And that’s when Cat-urday Comfort Fest was born!!!!!!!! It starts at 11:00 a.m. this Saturday and goes to whenever feels nice. It’s taking place on my couch. The whole idea is that we all dress in sweatpants and onesies and pile onto a big couch with our favorite cats and watch movies until the cows come home!!!!!!

Bring a cat, Galdsy!!!!!! And whoever else you want to come!!!!

Pages next week!!!

xox,

X

P.S. Uh oh. I can’t believe this. Arnold Rolfson just texted me and asked if I could get DemonKitty to open for an up-and-coming Boston band called the Womp Rats!!!! I don’t trust that Arnold Rolfson!!! What do I do?????

WE DID

PLAY

REALLY WELL.

BUT THAT’S

BECAUSE

WE PLAYED

FOR AN

AUDIENCE

OF ONE:

OUR

BIGGEST

FAN,

WRITER

X. <3

COME TO

CATURDAY

COMFORT

FEST IF

YOU CAN.

THERE’S

ROOM.

Journey Planet Workers’ Rights Edition – Call for Submissions

By Olav Rokne and Amanda Wakaruk: If science fiction has siblings, one of them would be the labour union movement. Both are children of the industrial revolution, when technological progress was creating new types of work and new types of workers, forcing people to confront what that meant. Both are focused on the impacts of change and how we adapt.

From William Morris’ News From Nowhere to Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Dispossessed, the genre has played with what work means and how humans collaborate in times of change.

We invite people to explore the (sometimes troubled) relationship between labour and science fiction in an upcoming edition of Journey Planet.

We are interested in a range of topics in various formats, from broad issues such as the depiction of the management class in space opera, to more narrowly focused analysis such as how Star Trek: Deep Space Nine can offer a model for collective action, as well as the real-world practicalities of exploitative labour practices in fandom-related employment. Reviews, short essays, fiction, art — it’s all welcome.

With an anticipated publication date set for American Labour Day (September 2, 2024), we need to have your proposals submitted by May 30, with final copy to the editors due by July 15.

Yours in solidarity,

Olav & Amanda 

Contact us at [email protected]

Olav Rokne and Amanda Wakaruk.

SERAPH 2024 Winners

The winners of the 2024 SERAPH awards for German fantasy were announced March 22 at the Leipzig Book Fair.

SERAPH 2024 AWARDS

BEST DEBUT

  • Fast verschwundene Fabelwesen: Die sagenhafte Expedition des Konstantin O. Boldt, Florian Schäfer & Elif Siebenpfeiffer (arsEdition)

BEST BOOK

  • A Breath of Winter, Carina Schnell (Knaur)

BEST INDEPENDENT TITLE

  • Draußen, Mary Stormhouse

The winners in the categories of Best Novel and Best Independent Title receive 5,500 euros, while the prize money for the Best Debut this year is 7,000 euros.

BBC Audio Drama Awards 2024

The BBC Audio Drama Awards were presented on March 24. There was one winner of genre interest, Best Supporting Performance by Mark Heap in Kafka’s Dick.

Also, many readers will be interested that Benny and Hitch, about “The explosive relationship between Bernard Herrmann and Alfred Hitchcock brought to life by Andrew McCaldon”, was honored with The Society of Authors  Imison Award, which celebrates the best in new writing for the medium of audio drama and is worth £3,000.

The complete list of winners follows the jump.


BEST ORIGINAL SINGLE DRAMA

  • WINNER: Dear Harry Kane by James Fritz, producer Sally Avens, BBC Audio Drama London

 BEST ADAPTATION

  • WINNER: Bess Loves Porgy by Edwin DuBose Heyward, adapted by Roy Williams, producer Gill Parry, feral inc

COMMENDATION: If on a Winter’s Night a Traveller by Italo Calvino, adapted by Tim Crouch and Toby Jones, producer Nadia Molinari, BBC Audio Drama North

COMMENDATION: Beowulf Retold based on the version by Seamus Heaney, producer Pauline Harris, BBC Audio Drama London

 BEST ORIGINAL SERIES OR SERIAL

  • WINNER: Trust by Jonathan Hall, producer Gary Brown, BBC Audio Drama North

COMMENDATION: There’s Something I Need to Tell You by John Scott Dryden and Misha Kawnel, producer Emma Hearn, Goldhawk Productions

 BEST ACTOR

  • WINNER: Hiran Abeysekera, Dear Harry Kane, director Sally Avens, BBC Audio Drama London

COMMENDATION: Lorn Macdonald, Confessions of a Justified Sinner, director Kirsty Williams, BBC Scotland

 BEST ACTRESS

  • WINNER: Rosamund Pike, People Who Knew Me, director Daniella Isaacs, Merman

 BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE

  • WINNER: Mark Heap, Kafka’s Dick, directors Polly Thomas and Dermot Daly, Naked Productions
Mark Heap

THE MARC BEEBY AWARD FOR BEST DEBUT PERFORMANCE

  • WINNER: Rosalind Eleazar, Hindsight, director Gaynor Macfarlane, BBC Scotland

COMMENDATION: Jadie Rose Hobson, Exposure, director Anne Isger, BBC Audio Drama London

COMMENDATION: Dan Parr, The Test Batter Can’t Breathe, director Tracey Neale, BBC Audio Drama London

 BEST SIT COM OR COMEDY DRAMA

  • WINNER: Where to, Mate? devised by Jo Enright, Peter Slater, Abdullah Afzal, Nina Gilligan, Andy Salthouse, Keith Carter, Jason Wingard, producer Carl Cooper, BBC Studios Audio

 BEST STAND UP COMEDY

  • WINNER: Sarah Keyworth: Are You a Boy or a Girl by by Sarah Keyworth, additional material Ruby Clyde, producer Georgia Keating, BBC Studios Audio

COMMENDATION: Janey Godley: the C Bomb by Janey Godley, producers Julia Sutherland and Richard Melvin, Dabster Productions

 BEST USE OF SOUND

  • WINNER: Hamlet Noir, sound by David Chilton, Lucinda Mason Brown, Weronika Andersen, producers Charlotte Melén, Carl Prekopp and Saskia Black, Almost Tangible

 BEST PODCAST AUDIO DRAMA

  • WINNER: Badger and the Blitz by Richard Turley and Darren Francis, producer Richard Turley, ROXO

 BEST EUROPEAN DRAMA

  • WINNER: This Word by Marta Rebzda, producer Waldemar Modestowicz, Polish Radio Theatre

 IMISON AWARD 2024

  • WINNER: Benny and Hitch by Andrew McCaldon, producers Neil Varley and Tracey Neale, BBC Audio Drama London

COMMENDATION: In Moderation by Katie Bonna, producer Sally Avens, BBC Audio Drama London

TINNISWOOD AWARD 2024

  • WINNER: Cracking by Shôn Dale-Jones, producer John Norton, BBC Cymru Wales

 OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION

  • Oliver Emanuel, presented by Dan Rebellato.

 LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

  • Graham Garden, presented by Charlotte Moore.

Pixel Scroll 3/24/24 When Pixels Run in Titles, It’s A Very, Very, Scroll World

(1) NORTHUMBERLAND HEATH SF HAD ITS MONTHLY MEET. [Item by SF Concatenation’s Jonathan Cowie.] No big deal in itself but the meet saw Nicki receive a copy of her father’s collected fan writings: A Vince Clarke Treasury

Vince, of course, being a long-standing BritCit fan from the days of Ken Bulmer, Tedd Tubb and — no relation – Arthur C. Clarke. Vince was GoH at the 1995 Glasgow Worldcon, Intersection. Here’s Vince’s conreport. (Click for larger image.)

(2) O CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN. “William Shatner: ‘Good science fiction is humanity, moved into a different milieu’” – so he tells a Guardian interviewer.

…In the case of his time on Star Trek, for instance, an inevitable subject of discussion with the former Captain Kirk: “It was three years of my life, you know?” It gladdens him to see how much joy the series has brought its many fans, but the richest rewards came in his introduction to science fiction, which activated and nurtured a lifelong curiosity about our species. He reminisces about meeting the great writers of the genre fondly yet frankly, honest enough to sort Ray Bradbury into “the category right below friend, I think”. He devoured their novels and developed a fascination with the principle of defamiliarization, that concepts taken for granted can be understood anew when viewed through the vantage of a stranger in a strange land. “Good science fiction is humanity, moved into a different milieu,” he says. “Great stories are great stories. You put human beings on a spaceship or a deserted planet, and we’ve got another way to see ourselves.”…

(3) KAIJU AROUND THE CLOCK. Collider tells where you can “Celebrate Godzilla’s 70th Birthday Party with a 24-Hour Franchise Marathon”.

…  the Music Box Theatre in Chicago is hosting a 24-hour Godzilla marathon in June as a part of an almost week-long event.

From June 7 to June 13, 2024, the Music Box Theatre has partnered with the Japanese Art Foundation to host a slew of events in honor of Godzilla’s historic reign. Opening night (June 7) will be a double feature of the last two Toho Godzilla films, Shin Godzilla and Godzilla Minus One. This is followed by a panel discussion entitled “Godzilla: The Atomic Age Anti-Hero” led by Saira Chambers of the Japanese Culture Center/Japanese Arts Foundation and Dr.Yuki Miyamoto of DePaul Humanities Center. June 8 is when the 24-hour Godzilla marathon will be taking place. This will feature 15 films from the character’s Showa-era. Then, June 9, a rare I.B. Technicolor 35mm print screening of the underrated Godzilla (1998) starring Matthew Broderick will be shown. Other screenings that will be shown throughout this monstrous event will include the original Godzilla from 1954, The Return of Godzilla, and Godzilla vs Biollante.

(4) 2024 WATERSTONES CHILDREN’S BOOK PRIZE. “Botanical fairytale set in Kew Gardens wins the Waterstones children’s book prize” reports The Guardian.

Kew Gardens features a hidden magical door in the winning book for this year’s £5,000 Waterstoneschildren’s book prize.

Greenwild: The World Behind the Door by Pari Thomson was voted the winner by Waterstones booksellers. The book “is a spellbinding triumph that will make children fall in love with the world they are reading about, and with reading itself,” said Bea Carvalho, head of books at Waterstones.

The book follows Daisy as she searches for her missing mother and discovers another world behind a hidden doorway in Kew Gardens. She soon learns that the new realm, filled with plants and magic, is under threat, and she bands together with a botanical expert, a boy who can talk to animals and a cat to save the green paradise.

Thomson lives near Kew Gardens – a place “full of sparkling glasshouses and carnivorous plants and lily pads big enough to take a nap on”, she said. “I have always felt that nature was a little bit magic – and Kew made me ask, what if it was true? What if the natural world all around us was brimming with magic? Greenwild is the answer to that question.”…

(5) TODAY’S BIRTHDAY.

[Written by Cat Eldridge.]

Born March 24, 1930 Steve McQueen. (Died 1980.) I know that Steve McQueen had but one SF role as Steve Andrews in The Blob. He received three thousand dollars in the late Fifties for that his first starring role, now thirty thousand if it was adjusted for inflation.

He had turned down a first offer for a  much smaller up-front fee in return for a ten percent share of profits, thinking the film would never make money, a reasonable assumption on his part. 

As later biographies noted, he needed this money immediately to pay for food and rent. However, this film ended up being a major hit, grossing four million at the box office after costing just one hundred and ten thousand to make, ten thousand under budget. 

I’ve seen it and he was quite excellent in it. Certainly I think he did better than the reviews of the time indicated such as the New York Times which said “the acting is pretty terrible” and or the Variety that proclaimed, “Neither the acting nor direction is particularly creditable.” Humph.

So one genre film, right? Now let’s look at what else that I like that he was in.

Two years later, he’d be in The Magnificent Seven. Yes, it’s a remake of a Japanese film but it feels all American. And the cast, oh my — other performers included Yul Brynner, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn and James Coburn. It’s considered one of the greatest films of the Western genre and deservedly so. 

The Thomas Crown Affair, released a decade later, was a most extraordinary heist film that he headed with Faye Dunaway. The perfect crime takes place. And then again and possibly deadly consequences. Oh it’s wonderful. He’s definitely a much better performer here, not surprising really. 

Now let’s see… Anything else?  Yes, one last film worth, in my opinion to note.

He’s the lead in The Great Escape as Captain Virgil Hilts which tells the story of the escape by British prisoners of war from German POW camp Stalag Luft III. Well, a highly fictional version of course. 

(6) COMICS SECTION.

  • Candorville explains once again that sf jokes are hard.
  • Tom Gauld presents a double feature.

(7) GENTLEBEINGS, BE SEATED. At Sci-Fi World Museum in Santa Monica, CA, “The restored Star Trek Enterprise-D bridge goes on display in May”Ars Technica has the story.

More than a decade has gone by since three Star Trek: The Next Generation fans first decided to restore the bridge from the Enterprise-D. Plans for the restored bridge morphed from opening it up to non-commercial uses like weddings or educational events into a fully fledged museum, and now that museum is almost ready to open. Backers of the project on Kickstarter have been notified that Sci-Fi World Museum will open to them in Santa Monica, California, on May 27, with general admission beginning in June.

It’s not actually the original set from TNG, as that was destroyed while filming Star Trek: Generations, when the saucer section crash-lands on Veridian III. But three replicas were made, overseen by Michael Okuda and Herman Zimmerman, the show’s set designers. Two of those welcomed Trekkies at Star Trek: The Experience, an attraction in Las Vegas until it closed in 2008.

The third spent time in Hollywood, then traveled to Europe and Asia for Star Trek: World Tour before it ended up languishing in a warehouse in Long Beach. It’s this third globe-trotting Enterprise-D bridge that—like the grit that gets an oyster to create a pearl—now finds a science-fiction museum accreted around it. Well, mostly—the chairs used by Riker, Troi, Data, and some other bits were salvaged from the Las Vegas exhibit….

(8) TWO THUMBS. Collider remembers “The Time Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel Stood Up For Star Wars”.

…[John] Simon’s opinion is highly unusual, as most critics who have reviewed the original Star Wars films are generally complimentary of the visual effects, which are often praised as being extremely convincing and for blending practical techniques with computer-generated work. For example, in his original review of Return of the Jedi for The Chicago Tribune, Siskel remarked that, “for the professional moviegoers, it is particularly enjoyable to watch every facet of filmmaking at its best.” In their response to Simon, Ebert disagreed with the idea of the prominence of the special effects being indicative of poor quality, saying, “I think all movies are special effects. Movies are not real. They are two-dimensional. It’s a dream. It’s an imagination,” alluding to the idea that since all films are brought to life with a combination of effects, what matters is whether said effects work in convincing ways and immerse viewers in a given story….

(9) BANG THE GAVEL SLOWLY. Then in the present, Judge John Hodgman has been called on to remedy a genre-related dispute: “My 60-Year-Old Brother has Never Seen ‘Star Wars.’ Help!” in the New York Times. Here’s the problem – see the answer at the link.

Erin writes: My brother Joel is 60, and I’m 52. But despite growing up in the ’70s, Joel never saw the original “Star Wars.” Now he refuses to, because “sci-fi is dumb.” Please order that he watch it with me on his next visit. I will even provide the gummies if needed!…

(10) BURRRP! [Item by SF Concatenation’s Jonathan Cowie.] Nature has a cover with a decidedly SFnal theme about stars that destroy worlds.  ‘Death Stars’ if you will….

The cover shows an artist’s impression of a planet being captured and ingested by one of the stars in co-moving pairs of stars. In this week’s issue, Fan Liu and colleagues present evidence suggesting about 1 in 12 stars might have ingested a planet. The chemical composition of a star can change when it engulfs a planet, so the researchers looked at binary star systems in which the two stars were born at the same time. By comparing the spectral signatures of the stellar twins, they were able to identify instances in which one of the stars had ingested a planet. They identified 91 pairs of close ‘co-natal’ stars and found evidence of planetary ingestion in about 8% of them.

(11) HORSES FOR COURSES? HANDICAPPING THE ECLIPSE. Atlas Obscura tells how “Eclipse Maps Entered a Golden Age Thanks to Edmond Halley”.

In 1715, Edmond Halley published a map predicting the time and path of a coming solar eclipse. Today the astronomer is most famous for understanding the behavior of the comet now named for him, but in his lifetime he was a hotshot academic, elected to the Royal Society at age 22 and appointed the second Astronomer Royal in 1720. He was fascinated with the movements of celestial bodies, and he wanted to show the public that the coming event was not a portent of doom, but a natural wonder….

… With each eclipse to pass over the British Isles, publishers became more savvy about promoting the event to the public. In 1737, mathematician and astronomer George Smith published a predictive eclipse map in The Gentleman’s Magazine, which is thought to be the first eclipse map published in a popular publication (as opposed to as a stand-alone broadside). By 1764, wrote historian Alice N. Walters in a 1999 paper published in History of Science, “so many eclipse maps were on the market—each with a different prediction—that one commentator likened the competition between them and their producers to an event quite familiar to the English public: a horse race.”…

(12) A DAYTIME VISIBLE NOVA. Another predictable but even rarer celestial event is coming up soon: “Stellar explosion: What to know about T Coronae Borealis nova” at Yahoo!

…It’s not exactly new but there will be an extra star in the sky that will be visible to the naked eye in the coming months in Northern California. T Coronae Borealis is a binary star system comprised of a cool red giant and a hot white dwarf star 3,000 light years away. The smaller white dwarf has been stealing matter from the red giant and appears to be getting ready to emit a burst of energy which will make it visible for at least a few days. It is known as a recurring nova where matter, mostly hydrogen, is collected by the white dwarf until enough mass is reached, creating a fusion reaction. That will then emits a burst of energy, which includes visible light. This process has been going on for a long time and occurs about every 80 years in this system….

(13) AS THE WORM TURNS. And one more reason to keep watching the skies – “Here’s how to see the upcoming worm moon lunar eclipse”

A glowing worm moon will light up the sky on Monday with a celestial performance in store for people venturing out in the early morning hours — a penumbral lunar eclipse.

March’s full moon, referred to as the worm moon by the Farmers’ Almanac due to its proximity to the spring equinox, will be at its fullest at 3 a.m. ET.

A few hours earlier, starting at 12:53 a.m. ET, according to EarthSky, the moon will be almost perfectly aligned with the sun and Earth, causing the outer edge of Earth’s shadow, known as the penumbra, to be cast onto the glowing orb.

The greatest eclipse will be at 3:12 a.m. ET, when the moon will appear to be slightly darker than usual, said Dr. Shannon Schmoll, director of the Abrams Planetarium at Michigan State University….

[Thanks to Cat Eldridge, SF Concatenation’s Jonathan Cowie, Steven French, Kathy Sullivan, Mike Kennedy, Andrew Porter, John King Tarpinian, and Chris Barkley for some of these stories. Title credit belongs to File 770 contributing editor of the day Soon Lee.]

Pixel Scroll 3/23/24 Please Be Aware That The Closest Pixel Might Be Behind You

(0) The Saturday Scroll will be a short one. I am on my way to celebrate my sister-in-law’s birthday — which will feel a bit incongruous because I’m still shocked and saddened by this first piece of news:

(1) DEB GEISLER, FN (1957-2024). Dr. Deborah M. Geisler (Deb), chair of Noreascon 4, the 2004 Worldcon, died today at the age of 66.

Her husband, Mike Benveniste, announced on Facebook that she passed at home while resting comfortably under hospice care after a long battle with lung and heart disease.  He added:

Deb was, at her core, a teacher.  As a professor of Communication and Journalism at Suffolk University, she touched the lives of students for over 30 years.  Deb never stopped caring profoundly about her students and the material she taught.  She was also a science fiction fan, fellow of NESFA, and conrunner and made many friendships in that community. 

She was chair of Noreascon 4, a Boskone, the 2004 Worldcon, and volunteered her time, experience, and snark to many other conventions. She was also the love of my life — we would have been married 33 years this October.

Deb is survived by her sister Libby and brother Doug as well as her extended family.  I will post arrangements for a wake and a memorial in the future once I know them.

Deb Geisler in 2015. Photo by Michael Benveniste.

(2) FRANK R. PAUL AWARDS DEADLINE. The submission window for the Frank R. Paul Awards closes March 31. The relaunched award will be presented at the 2024 NASFiC in Buffalo. Award administrator Frank Wu reminds artists:

Frank R. Paul was the first great science fiction magazine artist; he did the covers for the first few years of Amazing Stories, and Ray Bradbury, Forry Ackerman and Arthur C. Clarke were enticed into this field by his art. The FRP awards for best book cover and magazine cover art offer a $500 honorarium for each. Any artist, author, editor or publisher can submit up to 5 of their own works from 2023; the awards are open to everyone, including pro, semi-pro, fan or indie. Reprinted works are fine, as long as the art is new for 2023. The award winners will be determined by a panel of judges, and Frank R. Paul’s grandson Bill Engle is a member of the award committee. 

For more information, please see the award website or contact the chief awards administrator, Frank Wu, at [email protected].

The Frank R. Paul Awards were last run in 1996 by Kubla-Khan and the Nashville SF Association. Frank Wu is funding the first year’s award. For subsequent years they will be setting up a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and taking donations. 

(3) COIN OF THE REALM. “Coming to a Galaxy Near You – The Royal Mint Launches New Star Wars™ Range”.

The Millennium Falcon today (Monday 18th March) landed onto an official UK coin, as The Royal Mint unveils its latest collectable Star Wars™ coins and bullion bars.

Following the success of its first Star Wars coin series, Series 2 is dedicated to the franchise’s iconic vehicles. Designed by Ffion Gwillim, the first coin is the series depicts the infamous Millennium Falcon, one of the most recognised and celebrated vehicles in the Star Wars galaxy. Collectors and fans will enjoy the coin’s unique lenticular feature, depicting a silhouette of the Millennium Falcon and the Rebel Alliance ‘Starbird’ symbol.

Combining traditional minting techniques with modern technology, The Royal Mint’s craftspeople have faithfully reproduced the Star Wars vehicles for the first time on official UK coins. The lenticular feature, which tilts in the light to reveal symbols, is favourited by coin collectors, and demonstrates The Royal Mint’s specialised striking techniques. An advanced picosecond laser was used to imprint the intricate designs onto coin making tools to ensure exquisite accuracy.

Other coins launching in 2024 will showcase a TIE FighterX-Wing, and Death Star II.

(4) TODAY’S BIRTHDAY.

[Written by Cat Eldridge.]

Born March 23, 1952 Kim Stanley Robinson, 72. If the Mars trilogy was the only work that Kim Stanley Robinson had written, he’d rank among the best genre writers ever. So let’s talk about it. The trilogy consists of Red MarsGreen Mars and Blue Mars plus The Martians collection of short stories which I’ve not read because I didn’t know it existed until now. 

(He wrote another Mars set novel prior to this, Icehenge, but it is not related to this continuity however it shares much of its themes.)

Kim Stanley Robinson reading at Boskone 57 in 2020. Photo by Daniel Dern.

The trilogy with its colonizing and terraforming of Mars told through many narratives is quite fascinating. The use of multiple narratives isn’t by any means my favorite approach to telling a story but works perfectly here and I can’t imagine a more traditional approach working here. 

Red Mars won a BSFA and Nebula. Green Mars and Blue Mars won Hugos.

Then he went and wrote the outstanding Three Californias Trilogy. The novels that make up the trilogy are The Wild ShoreThe Gold Coast and Pacific Edge. I’ve only spent brief periods of time there, though I lived in both states north of there, but I found his creation of three possible future Californias rather interesting. 

May I note that the Science in the Capital series (Forty Signs of RainFifty Degrees Below, Sixty Days and Counting) is one perhaps that I can’t judge fairly as I didn’t like the first novel so I stopped there. 

His best one-off novels I think are without argument (ha!) The Years of Rice and Salt and New York 2140.  Now I’ll admit that’s based at, in part, on the fact that he’s written a lot of novel outside of the series I’ve read such as The Ministry for the Future with future generations being vested now which sounds interesting and  and Red Moonwell. 

He’s won way, way too many Awards to go into in detail, but I’ll will note that he won both the Robert A. Heinlein Award for everything that he done to that date, and the Arthur C. Clarke Award for Imagination in service to society. 

(5) VIDEO OF THE DAY. The Season 1 trailer for the new Doctor Who has dropped.

[Thanks to Chris Barkley, Cat Eldridge, SF Concatenation’s Jonathan Cowie, Frank Wu, Steven French, Mike Kennedy, Andrew Porter, and John King Tarpinian for some of these stories. Title credit belongs to File 770 contributing editor of the day Peer.]

Toy Review: Futurama Bender Robot Action Toy

Bite My Shiny Metal Ass – Bender

Review by Iain Delaney: Futurama is an animated science fiction comedy that aired on the Fox network in the United States from 1999 to 2003. After cancelation by Fox, the series was picked up by Comedy Central, where it ran from 2008 to 2013. Since last year, a third revival has been available on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ in other parts of the world. The series originated from the creative minds of Matt Groening of The Simpsons fame and David X. Cohen.

One of the main characters of the series is the robot Bender (full name: Bender Bending Rodriguez). Bender is a foul-mouthed, cigar-smoking, beer-drinking (he uses it for fuel) kleptomaniac, and one of the funniest characters on the show. The Bender Robot Action Toy is not quite so amusing, but still elicits a smile.

The robot toy comes in a two-color print cardboard box, reminiscent of old-fashioned toy packages of the 1950s and 60s. Inside the box is a clear plastic tray containing Bender, his props, and a solid wind-up key. Bender stands about 8 inches tall and can be equipped with his trademark stogie and a bottle of beer. Put the cigar in a hole in his mouth, and his left hand is specifically shaped to hold the beer bottle. 

Bender is made mostly of tin in a tribute to the tin toy robots of days gone by. His arms and legs are plastic, as are his eyes and the antenna on the top of his head. In a nice touch of accuracy, his central compartment opens up, but there is no room to hide anything, since his clockwork mechanism completely occupies it.

You insert the winding key in a hole in the right side of his body and wind him up. The legs immediately start rolling forward; first one, then the other. A ratchet mechanism prevents them from rolling backwards so that Bender slowly walks across whatever surface you put him on. This is one of the two popular methods for walking toy robots; the other being a side-to-side walking motion that lifted one foot, then the other. I think I prefer the shuffling motion that Bender uses since it fits his character better.

Bender was made in the year 2000 by Rocket USA toys, but they sadly seem to no longer be in business. I think I bought him many years ago at a tin toy shop. Now, if you can find him on eBay, people are asking at least $100 and up. 


Iain Delaney was born in the UK but moved to Canada at an early age. The UK heritage explains his fascination with British TV SciFi, including Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, UFO, and, of course, Dr. Who. After fumbling through high school, he fumbled through university, emerging with a degree in physics. With no desire to pursue graduate studies he discovered that a bachelor’s degree had little to no job prospects, so he took up a career in computer programming. In his off time he reads, watches TV and movies, collects toys, and makes attempts at writing. To that end he has a small number of articles published in role-playing game magazines and won two honorable mentions in the Writers of the Future contest. He is working on an urban fantasy YA trilogy and entertains delusions of selling it to movies or TV.

Pixel Scroll 3/22/24 White Rabbits Are Easy, Try Pulling A Pixel Out Of A Hat

(1) YE KEN NOW. [Via MT Void.] Read Michael Dirda’s article “The two best American fantasy writers you’ve probably never heard of” at the Washington Post. He’s talking about Avram Davidson and Manly Wade Wellman.

… Happily, though, these too-little-known but excellent writers — did I mention that both were honored with the World Fantasy Award for lifetime achievement? — have been supported and championed in recent years by independent publishers and knowledgeable admirers. Let’s start with Wellman.

Back in 2012, Haffner Press assembled “The Complete John Thunstone,” all of Wellman’s stories from Weird Tales magazine about a Manhattan-based occult investigator who, armed with a silver sword-cane, combats demons, the evil magician Rowley Thorne (loosely based on Aleister Crowley) and a hidden race of malignant humanoids called the Shonokins. Fans of Marvel Comics’ Doctor Strange will feel right at home…

… Despite the similarity in their structure, these tales of mystery and the supernatural excel at evoking the uncanny, even as the myriad details of Southern legend and lore further ramp up the tension and foreboding. Think of them, then, as round-the-campfire stories or front-porch yarns: They are shivery without being gruesome, they move right along, and each will leave you wanting to read just one more.

By contrast, Avram Davidson is far more literary, as well as amaster of many vocal registers and genres. In relating his brilliantly gonzo fantasies, he often takes his own sweet time, reveling in pyrotechnic sentences, Jewish slang, mordant humor, digressions and archaic diction. You’ll certainly find all these in “AD 100: 100 Years of Avram Davidson: 100 Unpublished or Uncollected Stories,” edited by Neva Hickman….

(2) NOT AT ALL ELEMENTARY, MY DEAR WATSON. “The Weird Lawsuit Over Netflix’s Enola Holmes, Explained” at Slashfilm.

…In the case of another prominent pop culture figure, Sherlock Holmes, many of the stories featuring Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective entered the public domain some time ago. Copyright typically lasts for the duration of an author’s life plus 70 years, 120 years from the date of their creation, or 95 years from their publication date — whichever comes soonest. Doyle passed away in 1930, and a lot of his Sherlock Holmes novels entered the public domain in the 20th Century, beginning in 1981 when 1887’s “A Study in Scarlett” made the transition. So, by the time author Nancy Springer published her first “Enola Holmes” novel in 2006 — a novel based on the world established by Doyle — she was mostly in the clear.

In 2020, Netflix’s first adaptation of a Springer book, “Enola Holmes” arrived, welcoming girls into the detective club and becoming a big enough hit for the streamer to green-light a sequel. When “Enola Holmes 2” debuted in 2022, it proved to be an even more charming mystery outing, firmly cementing these films as a solid new franchise for Netflix. All in all, then, a pretty nice little success story for the biggest streamer in the game. Or at least it would have been if it wasn’t for that pesky copyright law….

…. The complaint alleged that Springer and the other parties infringed copyright and trademark law with the “Enola Holmes” products, specifically stating (via The Guardian) that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had created “significant new character traits for Holmes and Watson” in the 10 stories that remained protected by copyright law in the U.S. Back in 2014, a ruling made all the Sherlock Holmes stories authored prior to 1923 property of the public domain, allowing Springer and others to use the character and his world in their creations. But the 10 remaining stories, referred to in the 2020 lawsuit, were written between 1923 and 1927, meaning they were still covered by copyright law.

So, what exactly had Springer, Netflix, and the others infringed upon from these specific stories? Well, emotions, apparently…

(3) TREK HISTORY ON THE AUCTION BLOCK. Two of the highlighted items in March 29’s “The Greg Jein Collection Hollywood/Entertainment Showcase Auction” are from Star Trek: The Original Series – a phaser, and a shuttlecraft model.

Star Trek: The Original Series (Paramount TV, 1966-1969), Mid-Grade Type-1 Phaser. Vintage original iconic prop measuring 3.75″ x 1.75″ x 1″. Constructed of hollow fiberglass, painted dark gray with silver stripe on both sides, with wooden emitter tip, acrylic gauge, aluminum power dial and diamond patterned decal. This very rare prop was used by the production for closer shots. Exhibiting scuffing and some paint retouching as well as adhesive remnants on the underside. Comes with a COA from Heritage Auctions. From the Collection of Greg Jein.

Heritage Auctions says about the shuttlecraft:

This piece is truly special. Greg, obviously known for his incredible model-building prowess, built this as a “stand-in” for his screen-used Galileo shuttlecraft filming miniature for the famous Star Trek exhibit at the Smithsonian in 1992. Greg feared his original miniature would become damaged, so he spared no attention to detail in creating this piece, knowing it would be viewed by hundreds of thousands of visitors at the National Air and Space Museum….

Star Trek: The Original Series (Paramount TV, 1966-1969), Greg Jein-Built Galileo Shuttlecraft Model for “Star Trek: The Exhibit” at the Smithsonian (1992). Original static model miniature constructed of cast resin elements, vacuum-formed plastic, mixed-media components, all expertly assembled, painted, and finished with Enterprise-gray paint, tape details, and transfer lettering for badging. Measures approx. 22″ x 14″ x 7.5″. The Greg Jein-built model was on display at the legendary “Star Trek: The Exhibit” at The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C., from February 1992 through January 1993. Exhibits age, paint chipping, cracking and handling. Comes with a COA from Heritage Auctions. From the Collection of Greg Jein.

(4) EATING THE FANTASTIC. Scott Edelman invites listeners to join biographer Julie Phillips for Jӓgerschnitzel in Episode 221 of the Eating the Fantastic podcast.

I first met this episode’s guest, Julie Phillips, in the dealers room of the 2006 Los Angeles Worldcon, where I was introduced by Gordon Van Gelder, her editor on James Tiptree, Jr.: The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon. That biography had been out only a few weeks by then, and it would go on to win the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Hugo and Locus Awards, and the Washington State Book Award. It’s a truly magnificent achievement, and if you haven’t already read it, you should track it down immediately. Once you do, you’ll understand why I’m anxiously awaiting her next biography — of the great Ursula K. Le Guin.

Julie Phillips

Her most recent book is The Baby on the Fire Escape: Creativity, Mothering, and the Mind-Baby Problem (2002). Her articles have appeared in The New YorkerMs.The Village VoiceNewsdayMademoiselle, and many other publications. She currently lives in Amsterdam, where she reviews books for 4Columns.org and writes about English literature for the Dutch daily newspaper Trouw.

When I learned the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts had asked her give the kickoff lecture of its More than Muses Weekend in nearby Hagerstown, Maryland, I reached out to see whether she had time to break bread so I could share her wisdom with you. And I’m so pleased she agreed. We met for lunch the day after her presentation at Schmankerl Stube Bavarian restaurant, one of my favorite places to eat in Hagerstown.

We discussed why she called The Baby on the Fire Escape “a weird hybrid monster of a book,” the one thing she regrets not researching more thoroughly for her Tiptree bio, the reason there’s more space for the reader in a biography than a memoir, why some children of artistic mothers can make peace with their relationships and others can’t, the three things she felt it important to squeeze into the seven minutes she was given to speak at Ursula K. Le Guin’s memorial service, her writing method of starting in the middle of a book and working out toward both ends, the occasional difficulty of withholding judgement on one’s biographical subjects, the relationship between biographer Robert Caro and editor Robert Gottlieb, plus much more.

(5) ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, REAL BALONEY. “A Celebrity Dies, and New Biographies Pop Up Overnight. The Author? A.I.” finds the New York Times.

After Joseph Lelyveld, a former executive editor of The New York Times, died last month, his brother Michael Lelyveld went online to see how he was being remembered. He found obituaries in major news outlets, as expected. But he also found other, unexpected portraits of his brother.

At least half a dozen biographies were published on Amazon in the days immediately following Lelyveld’s death. Several of them were available for purchase on the very day he died. The books, he said, described his brother as a chain smoker, someone who honed his skills in Cairo and reported from Vietnam — none of which is true.

“They want to make a buck on your grief,” said Michael Lelyveld.

Books like this are part of a macabre new publishing subgenre: hasty, shoddy, A.I.-generated biographies of people who have just died…

(6) TODAY’S BIRTHDAY.

[Written by Cat Eldridge.]

Born March 22, 1920 Ross Martin. (Died 1981.) Let’s talk about Ross Martin and his involvement with Wild Wild West which is a fascinating story indeed. 

He got his first acting job in the early Fifties series Lights Out’s “I Dreamed I Died” episode. 

This was not the beginning of his performance career as he did a lot of radio before that, including the last broadcast episode of Dimension X, and two of X Minus One, one of which taken from was Bradbury’s “The Man in The Moon” story which I believe Bradbury himself adapted for broadcast. 

Before the Wild Wild West, he would be in the Conquest of Space, a film about the first interplanetary flight to the planet Mars, and in The Colossus of New York where he’s Dr. Jeremy “Jerry” Spensser (sic) whose brain gets put into a giant robotic body. What could possibly go wrong?  

Ross Martin in 1965

Mike wants to note that that though “not genre, he played the villain in Experiment in Terror which was a memorable film.” Thanks Mike! 

Not surprisingly, he’d be in Twilight Zone. The first time “The Four of Us are Dying” where he’s already dead as Johnny Foster. Seriously he is. Nice touch there, Serling. The next time is in what starts as a purely SF episode which is described this way, “Space Cruiser E-89, crewed by Captain Paul Ross, Lt. Ted Mason (his character), and Lt. Mike Carter, is on a mission to analyze new worlds and discover if they are suitable for colonization.”  Well, this being the Twilight Zone, it will take a trip into the very strange of course. 

It is said that the Artemus Gordon character was largely shaped by Martin himself. He created almost all of his disguises for the show, and even the gadgets used on the series were either created by him or largely constructed with his input. Even the make-up he did for many of the episodes was mostly his own design. Given that he was in eighty-five episodes, that’s quite amazing!

Gordon missed nine episodes after suffering a heart attack. The actor was temporarily replaced by familiar actors like William Schallert and Alan Hale, Jr.  So yes the Captain did escape from the island. And time traveled. 

I loved the series, loved him and Conrad, thought they made a great pair of agents. I’ve watched the series quite a few times including on DVD about a decade ago, that viewing allowed me to see pre-production sketch that was made of his very first make-up design for the pilot episode. 

The four season boxed set has the two movies plus all the extras from seasons two  through four but very oddly not the ones from the first season when these were first released as separate sets. A very odd thing to do. And yes, you can find the separate seasons easily enough on eBay. 

After this series, his genre appearances are as follows. 

He appeared in another Serling series playing Mister Gingold, a  moneylender with almost no compassion for his debtors who would get his due justice Night Gallery-style in “Camera Obscura”, and again as Bradley Meredith in “The Other Way Out” as the jig is up after he kills a go-go dancer. Serling did not write this script and it shows. There’s nothing at all interesting here.

Not genre (I think, we could call it genre adjacent) was his role was Charles Chan in The Return of Charlie Chan

Definitely genre was his appearance on Quark as Zorgon the Malevolent in “All the Emperor’s Quasi-Norms, Parts 1 & 2”. 

I’m down to his last three genre appearances, he was in    The New Adventures of Wonder Woman  as Bernard Havitol in the “IRAC is Missing” episode and his next two genre role was as Ace Scanlon in a Fantasy Island two parter, “The Devil and Mandy Breem” and “The Millionaire”.

His final genre role was on Mork & Mindy as Godfrey in the “Mork and the Bum Rap” episode. That, I think, covers it. 

(7) COMICS SECTION.

From Cooper Lit Comics:

(8) USE THE COFFEE MACHINE, LUKE. “’Star Wars’ Marathon Set From Alamo Drafthouse With All Nine Films” says The Hollywood Reporter.

Alamo Drafthouse is hosting a Star Wars marathon of all nine movies to screen back-to-back May 3-4, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace.

The Texas-based theater chain will host the 21-hour marathon of the Skywalker Saga’s episodes one through nine at the Alamo Drafthouse New Mission in San Francisco. The all-in-one-sitting viewing will start May 3 with The Phantom Menace and end a day later with a screening of The Rise of Skywalker.

There will be breaks for “unlimited coffee and water” to keep your eyes open in case the Force isn’t enough. Audiences can expect Star Wars-themed food items from a galaxy far, far away at the concession stands, an immersive Star Wars lobby for selfies, and games and trivia between screenings.… 

(9) WARP FACTOR TEA. Of course, if you’re not a coffee drinker, Adagio Teas looks like they have at least ten selections in their “To Boldly Brew…” line. One of them is “Picard’s Tea. Earl Grey. Hot. Tea”. Below are three examples of the art on the product tins.

Picard’s Tea. Earl Grey. Hot. Creamy Earl Grey Moonlight blends beautifully with Summer Rose, (English roses in honor of Sir Patrick Stewart’s homeland). Extra rose petals added for that touch of Starfleet Command red. [Episodes: TNG 2×11 “Contagion,” 4×26 “Redemption,” 6×19 “Lessons,” 7×20 “Journey’s End,” 7×25/26 “All Good Things…”]

(10) ON THE BEACH. [Item by SF Concatenation’s Jonathan Cowie.] “NASA’s Mars rover probes ancient shorelines for signs of life” reports Science. A  core drilled by Perseverance in October 2023 suggests it has been driving on the remains of an ancient beach.

…For the past few months, NASA’s rover, which is collecting rock samples to eventually send to Earth, has explored a ring of rocks just inside the rim of Jezero crater, which is thought to have been filled with water billions of years ago. An initial analysis suggests the rocks are composed of rounded grains of carbonate, a mineral that precipitates out of water. It’s a promising sign that the rocks were once beachfront property, says Briony Horgan, a planetary scientist at Purdue University who leads the rover’s science campaign. “You can imagine the waves crashing up against the shores of an ancient palaeolake,” she says….

(11) A PENGUIN IN YOUR FUTURE. “Colin Farrell returns in Max’s first The Penguin teaser” — let AV Club set the stage.

While fans will need to wait an extra year to see Robert Pattinson re-don his black cape for The Batman Part II (the film is now set to premiere in 2026), they don’t need to stay out of Matt Reeves’ gritty version of Gotham entirely. Colin Farrell’s Oz Cobb—in all his prosthetic-covered glory—is returning far sooner for his own eight-episode spinoff series, which lands on Max sometime this fall.

Move over, Tony Soprano. A new boss is coming to HBO. The first teaser for The Penguin opens in a flooded Gotham, right where the 2022 film left off, with Farrell doing exactly what any DC villain worth his salt should do: monologuing….

[Thanks to John King Tarpinian, Chris Barkley, Cat Eldridge, SF Concatenation’s Jonathan Cowie, Dann, Steven French, Mike Kennedy, and Andrew Porter for some of these stories. Title credit belongs to File 770 contributing editor of the day Cat Eldridge.]