Horror writer Terence Taylor and essayist F. Brett Cox headline the New York Review of Science Fiction Readings on October 27.
The full press release follows the jump.
[Thanks to Jim Freund for the story.]
Monthly Archives: November 2009
Louise Cooper Dies
SF Signal and Locus report that British fantasy author Louise Cooper, passed away on October 21 of a brain aneurysm at her home in Cornwall at the age of 57.
This Space Intentionally Left
Un-blown-up
Whether the expiration of the Mayan calendar in 2012 signifies the end of the real world or not, Hollywood’s effects wizards promise earthshattering violence will fill the screens wherever Roland Emmerich’s 2012 is showing.
Cultural icons will be vividly destroyed by the writhing terrestrial crust, the Sistine Chapel wrecked and the outstretched arms of Rio de Janeiro’s Jesus statue dismembered. In fact, I’m surprised to read that Emmerich blows up the White House again, as he did in Independence Day. Neither national pride nor anything sacred will be spared — oh, except just one thing:
For “2012,” Emmerich set his sights on destroying the some biggest landmarks around the world, from Rome to Rio. But there’s one place that Emmerich wanted to demolish but didn’t: the Kaaba, the cube-shaped structure located in the center of Mecca. It’s the focus of prayers and the site of the Hajj, the biggest, most important pilgrimage in Islam.
“Well, I wanted to do that, I have to admit,” the filmmaker told scifiwire.com. “But my co-writer Harald [Kloser] said, ‘I will not have a fatwa on my head because of a movie.’ And he was right.”
You are one ballsy guy, Roland.
[Thanks to David Klaus for the link.]
Joe Haldeman Update 11/5/2009
“Joe was in the best shape he’s been since September 19, the day this whole thing started,” Gay Haldeman told SFF.net readers on November 4. “He walked across the room without help, got himself in and out of bed several times, sat up for a long time, ate well, talked about the future for the first time.” Doctors have decided not to do anything invasive yet and a new antibiotic is making him feel much better.
Rose Fox celebrated Joe’s continuing improvement by answering his pancreatic poem with a double dactyl of her own:
Abdomen habdomen
Haldeman’s pancreas
Gave him a fever and
Twisted his guts.
Glad there’s no need for a
Pancreatectomy.
Get better soon, Joe–no
Ifs, ands, or buts!
(Reprinted by permission. Follow Rose’s commentary about the sf field on Publishers Weekly’s Genreville.)
Berry Wins Smofcon Scholarship
Veteran conrunner Kirsten M. Berry is the recipient of a $500 scholarship from San Francisco Science Fiction Conventions, Inc. (SFSFC) to attend SMOFCon 27 in Austin TX over the weekend of December 4-6, 2009.
Besides a great deal of experience working Bay Area conventions, Berry has been a member of the Advisory Council for the Burning Man Department of Mutant Vehicles since 2007. And that’s not just another con-goers hack like “Elevator Fandom.” They are the people who keep Burning Man from being overrun by traffic. Mutant Vehicles are an exception to the general restriction on motor vehicles in Black Rock City. They are likened to “sublimely beautiful works of art floating across the playa like a Miro painting.”
The full press release appears after the jump.
Asher and Walsh Recognized by WFC
Michael Swanwick’s Flogging Babel posted a photo of World Fantasy Award winners Ellen Asher and Michael Walsh and these very nice compliments:
Two of those good people are shown above: Michael Walsh, of Old Earth Books, for Old Earth Books and especially for publishing Howard Waldrop, and Ellen Asher, who received a lifetime achievement award for her career at the Science Fiction Book Club. They are Heroes of Literature, the both of them.
Walsh copied the news to me in an e-mail titled “What happens to past worldcon chairs…” I hope Christian McGuire is reading — he’s always happy to hear we can go back to being useful members of society.
(The entire list of SFC Award winners is here.)
Comic-Con Founder Shel Dorf Dies
Shel Dorf, one of the creators of the San Diego Comic-Con, passed away November 3 of kidney failure at the age of 76.
Dorf ran Detroit’s “Triple Fan Fest” before moving to California. When he met Ken Krueger, owner of Alert Books in Ocean Beach, they gathered other enthusiasts and held the first Golden State Comic Con, at San Diego’s U.S. Grant Hotel in 1970.
Dorf led the convention for about 15 years, but as Mark Evanier tells it on his “News From Me” site, “There’s a long, uncomfortable story of how he came to be estranged from the organization. Many of us witnessed it (and tried to help) but it was one of those problems that just could not be solved, at least to his satisfaction.”
Dorf confessed to The San Diego Union-Tribune in a 2006 interview “We had no idea it would get this big. To me, it’s just become an ordeal. I don’t know of any way to make it smaller, though. I guess in some ways it’s become too much of a success.”
There remained bonds of respect and affection, however. Six of the original Comic-Con committee members visited Dorf in the hospital on October 17. And many others posted salutes to the Shel Dorf Tribute site before he died.
Emperor Norton — The Musical!
Poster for Emperor Norton The Musical
The Emperor Norton, who graced the 1993 Worldcon with his regal presence as a time-traveling guest of honor, now has inspired Emperor Norton The Musical. It’s coming to Zombie Joe’s Underground Theater in North Hollywood on November 7 after three successful runs in San Francisco.
The full press release follows the jump.
[Thanks to Laurraine Tutihasi for the story.]
Webcomics for Tor.com
Publishers Weekly reports that Tor.com Tor.com plans to serialize two book-length webcomics:
In an unusual acquisition deal, Tor.com, an experimental Macmillan website/publishing venture focused on launching original science fiction, fantasy and comics, has acquired web-only publishing rights to two full-length 192 page graphic novels and will serialize them over 6 months through the Tor.com website beginning in January. The two works are The Imitation Game, a biography of mathematician Alan Turing by comics writer and science biographer Jim Ottaviani and artist Leland Purvis; and Red Light Properties by Dan Goldman, described as a “paranormal real estate tale” by literary agent Bob Mecoy of Creative Book Services, who represents all the creators and negotiated the deal on their behalf.
[Thanks to Andrew Porter for the story.]
Shenandoah Ships Free
Francis Hamit has a deal: “As you will see from this linked article from Publishers Weekly, anyone who wants my book, The Shenandoah Spy and orders it from Borders will get free shipping for a limited time.
“We are continuing the special discount promotional codes at Pathway Book Service (1-800-345-6665) where the discount now equates to about the same free shipping offer. They can use the code ‘FACE’ for Facebook for instance, or ‘LINK’ for LinkedIn. This is just part of our effort to serve customers where and how they want to be served.
“I will admit that it would be very helpful if they order through a Borders store. It’s not normally stocked on their shelves, but if enough people do that, then it may be in the future. But either way is fine. Signed copies are still available at the [Brass Cannon Books] web site.”