The deadline to vote in the Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund is rapidly approaching – April 22, at 11:59 p.m. (23:59) Pacific time. (In the UK this is April 23 at 07:59 a.m.)
The candidates are Brad and Cindy Foster, Curt Phillips, and Randy Smith. To read their platforms or the TAFF rules, click here.
Online voting via PayPal is available — http://tafftrip.com/taff-voting-using-paypal/
The winners of the inaugural Tolkien Society Awards were announced at the Tolkien Society’s Annual Dinner in Hay-on-Wye, UK on April 11.
Best Article
John Garth, ”Tolkien and the boy who didn’t believe in fairies”
Best Artwork
Jenny Dolfen, “Eärendil the Mariner“
Best Book
Paul Simpson and Brian Robb, Middle-Earth Envisioned
Best Novel
J.R.R. Tolkien and Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Fall of Arthur
Best Website
Emil Johansson, LOTR Project
Outstanding Contribution Award
Christopher Tolkien
Commenting on her award, artist Jenny Dolfen said, “I was delighted to hear that my watercolour piece ‘Eärendil’ had been voted Best Tolkien Artwork of 2013 by the wonderful people of the Tolkien Society. To see that people who are so deeply into Tolkien’s works, ideas and philosophies see the same sort of connection in one of my paintings is wonderful, and the greatest support that any artist can wish for – thank you!”
Best Website winner Emil Johansson said, “It was a huge honor to receive the TS award and I was very humbled by the recognition. Knowing that people enjoy what I do is what keeps me going.”
[From the press release.]
George Clayton Johnson, 84, and friends convened at Coral Café in Burbank on April 13. Here are a few photos of the festivities.
As Greg Koudoulian says, George will be 85 on July 10 and it will be time to party again!
Dennis Etchison
Kristina Etchison in Back To The Future replica DeLorean auto.
[Thanks to John King Tarpinian for the story.]
Larry Correia, creator of the ”Sad Puppies” campaign to get his novel nominated for a Hugo, urged those buying Loncon 3 memberships in order to nominate Warbound to consider filling in the rest of their ballots with his slate of 11 other recommendations.
How did that pay off this year? When the Hugo nominees were released today we saw that, counting his own book, Correia scored 7 hits out of 12 on his list. I have placed asterisks beside them.
Best Novel
(*)Warbound, the Grimnoir Chronicles – Larry Correia – Baen
A Few Good Men – Sarah Hoyt – Baen
Novella
(*)The Butcher of Khardov – Dan Wells – Skull Island Expeditions
(*)The Chaplain’s Legacy – Brad Torgersen – Analog
Novellete
(*)The Exchange Officers – Brad Torgersen – Analog
(*)Opera Vita Aeterna – Vox Day – The Last Witchking
Best Fanzine
(*)Elitist Book Reviews – Steve Diamond
Graphic Story
Schlock Mercenary – Howard Tayler
Best Editor Long Form
(*)Toni Weisskopf
Best Editor Short Form
Bryan Thomas Schmidt
Campbell Award
Marko Kloos
Frank Chadwick
The finalists for the 2014 Hugo Awards and John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer were announced by Loncon 3 representatives at the British Eastercon on April 19. A record 1,923 valid nominating ballots were received (1,889 electronic and 34 paper.)
BEST NOVEL (1595 ballots)
BEST NOVELLA (847 ballots)
BEST NOVELETTE (728 ballots)
BEST SHORT STORY (865 ballots)
Note: category has 4 nominees due to a 5% requirement under Section 3.8.5 of the WSFS constitution.
BEST RELATED WORK (752 ballots)
BEST GRAPHIC STORY (552 ballots)
BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION (LONG FORM) (995 ballots)
BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION (SHORT FORM) (760 ballots)
Note: category has 6 nominees due to a tie for 5th place.
BEST EDITOR – SHORT FORM (656 ballots)
BEST EDITOR – LONG FORM (632 ballots)
BEST PROFESSIONAL ARTIST (624 ballots)
Note: category has 6 nominees due to a tie for 5th place.
BEST SEMIPROZINE (411 ballots)
BEST FANZINE (478 ballots)
BEST FANCAST (396 ballots)
Note: category has 7 nominees due to a tie for 5th place.
BEST FAN WRITER (521 ballots)
BEST FAN ARTIST (316 ballots)
JOHN W. CAMPBELL AWARD FOR BEST NEW WRITER (767 ballots)
Award for the best new professional science fiction or fantasy writer of 2012 or 2013, sponsored by Dell Magazines (not a Hugo Award).
*Finalists in their 2nd year of eligibility.
The finalists for the 1939 Retro Hugo Awards were announced by Loncon 3 representatives at the British Eastercon on April 19.
There were 233 valid nominating ballots cast for Retro Hugo nominees (226 electronic and 7 paper.)
BEST NOVEL (208 ballots)
Carson of Venus by Edgar Rice Burroughs (Argosy, February 1938)
Galactic Patrol by E. E. Smith (Astounding Stories, February 1938)
The Legion of Time by Jack Williamson (Astounding Science-Fiction, July 1938)
Out of the Silent Planet by C. S. Lewis (The Bodley Head)
The Sword in the Stone by T. H. White (Collins)
BEST NOVELLA (125 ballots)
Anthem by Ayn Rand (Cassell)
“A Matter of Form” by H. L. Gold (Astounding Science-Fiction, December 1938)
“Sleepers of Mars” by John Beynon [John Wyndham] (Tales of Wonder, March 1938)
“The Time Trap” by Henry Kuttner (Marvel Science Stories, November 1938)
“Who Goes There?” by Don A Stuart [John W. Campbell] (Astounding Science-Fiction, August 1938)
BEST NOVELETTE (80 ballots)
“Dead Knowledge” by Don A. Stuart [John W. Campbell] (Astounding Stories, January 1938)
“Hollywood on the Moon” by Henry Kuttner (Thrilling Wonder Stories, April 1938)
“Pigeons From Hell” by Robert E. Howard (Weird Tales, May 1938)
“Rule 18” by Clifford D. Simak (Astounding Science-Fiction, July 1938)
“Werewoman” by C. L. Moore (Leaves #2, Winter 1938)
BEST SHORT STORY (108 ballots)
“The Faithful” by Lester Del Rey (Astounding Science-Fiction, April 1938)
“Helen O’Loy” by Lester Del Rey (Astounding Science-Fiction, December 1938)
“Hollerbochen’s Dilemma” by Ray Bradbury (Imagination!, January 1938)
“How We Went to Mars” by Arthur C. Clarke (Amateur Science Stories, March 1938)
“Hyperpilosity” by L. Sprague de Camp (Astounding Science-Fiction, April 1938)
BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION (SHORT FORM) (137 ballots)
Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne. Written & directed by Orson Welles (The Mercury Theater of the Air, CBS)
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Written & directed by Orson Welles (The Campbell Playhouse, CBS)
Dracula by Bram Stoker. Written by Orson Welles and John Houseman, directed by Orson Welles (The Mercury Theater of the Air, CBS)
R. U. R. by Karel ?apek. Produced by Jan Bussell (BBC)
The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells. Written by Howard Koch & Anne Froelick, directed by Orson Welles (The Mercury Theater of the Air, CBS)
BEST EDITOR – SHORT FORM (99 ballots)
John W. Campbell
Walter H. Gillings
Raymond A. Palmer
Mort Weisinger
Farnsworth Wright
BEST PROFESSIONAL ARTIST (86 ballots)
Margaret Brundage
Virgil Finlay
Frank R. Paul
Alex Schomburg
H. W. Wesso
BEST FANZINE (42 ballots)
Fantascience Digest edited by Robert A. Madle
Fantasy News edited by James V. Taurasi
Imagination! edited by Forrest J Ackerman, Morojo, and T. Bruce Yerke
Novae Terrae edited by Maurice K. Hanson
Tomorrow edited by Douglas W. F. Mayer
BEST FAN WRITER (50 ballots)
Forrest J Ackerman
Ray Bradbury
Arthur Wilson “Bob” Tucker
Harry Warner, Jr.
Donald A. Wollheim
The winner of the 2014 Philip K. Dick Award was announced at Norwescon 37 – Countdown City by Ben H. Winters (Quirk Books).
The award is given to “the distinguished original science fiction paperback published for the first time during 2013 in the U.S.A.”
The judges also gave a Special Citation to Self-Reference Engine, by Toh EnJoe, translated by Terry Gallagher.
The Philip K. Dick Award is sponsored by the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society and the Philip K. Dick Trust
The 2014 judges were Elizabeth Bear (chair), Siobhan Carroll, Michael Kandel, Jamil Nasir, and Timothy Sullivan.
For the sixth consecutive year Worldcon members have cast a record number of Hugo nominating ballots, truly annihilating the old standard with an increase of 43%.
Loncon 3 received 1,923 ballots (1,889 electronic and 34 paper), exceeding the 1,343 received by LoneStarCon 3 last year. Prior to that, Chicon 7 received 1,101 in 2012, Renovation received 1,006 in 2011, Aussiecon 4 received 864 in 2010 and Anticipation received 799 in 2009, each a record-setting figure at the time.
This record-breaking trend gained momentum from a rules change effective in 2012 which broadened the voting base. Now members of the forthcoming Worldcon are allowed to nominate too, just as members of the current and previous Worldcon have long been able to do. And I imagine that because Loncon 3 is a European Worldcon it has attracted many members who don’t typically join when the con is in North America, making the universe of potential Hugo voters that much larger.
The 2014 Hugo Award nominees will be announced this afternoon Saturday, April 19, starting at 12:30 p.m. PDT. The announcement will be live-streamed from Glasgow, via Ustream, and broadcast simultaneously at two conventions in the United States.
The papers of the Twelfth World Science Fiction Convention are back on the market. This archive of correspondence, contracts and the like from SFCon, held in San Francisco in 1954, previously offered in 2012 by The Fine Books Company for $12,218.50, is available from the same dealer but with a new asking price of $15,925.00.
Here is the seller’s list of all the goodies in this fanhistorical treasure trove —
A UNIQUE OFFERING THE TWELFTH WORLD SCIENCE FICTION CONVENTION PAPERS. Held in San Francisco in the summer of 1954 with G.O.H. John Campbell, Jr., this was one of the great early gatherings. Included in this massive archive is everything that one might want to know about running a convention: Hotel rates for rooms, banquets, buffet menus, rentals, carpenters, electricians, etc. There are letters from attendees and those who wished to attend but could not; paid invoices from photo shops, printers, etc.; canceled checks (along with some unused ones as well) and check stubs; Radio scripts from local stations and press clippings and pictures from local papers; letters from major Motion Picture Studios answering requests about film availability; SIGNED letters from advertizers (including all the small presses); the entire convention mailing list; black & white photos picturing singularly or in group Ackerman, Anderson, Boucher, Bloch, Campbell, Clifton, Dick, Ellison, Evans, Gold, Mayne, Ley, Moskowitz, Nourse, E.E. Smith, Williamson, Van Vogt, Vampira, et.al. But of course the major importance of this archive has yet to be mentioned. And that’s simply the great abundance of SIGNED letters, post-cards and notes from authors and artists. To wit: Anderson, Asimov (3), Blaisdell, Blish, Bond, Bonestell (4), Boucher (3), Bradbury (4), Bretnor, F. Brown, Howard Browne, Budrys, Campbell (5), Clement, Clifton (2), Collier, Conklin, DeCamp, DeFord, Dick, Dickson, Dollens (8), Emshwiller (2), Eshbach (2), Evans, Farmer, Freas (3), Greenberg (2), Gunn, Heinlein, Hunter (5), Kuttner, Ley (5), Moskowitz, Neville, Nolan (3), Nourse, Obler, Orban (3), Palmer, Pratt, Simak, E.E. Smith (2), Tucker, Williamson (3), Wylie, et.al. Finally, also included is a set of audio tapes which were taken at this convention. Now for the first time (depending on your age I guess) you can not only be privy to what went on at this convention, but also hear the actual voices of Anthony Boucher, John W. Campbell, E.E. “DOC”Smith and others too numerous to mention. A unique opportunity to snatch a bit of vintage post-war Science Fiction history. (The tapes, while definitely included in this grouping, may not be immediately available.)
[Thanks to Andrew Porter for the story.]
There are 29,000 words of short fiction, poetry, and interviews in Apex Magazine #59, by Haddayr Copley-Woods, Tom Piccirilli, Ferrett Steinmetz, John Chu, Pamela Dean, Lavie Tidhar, Beth Cato, Michele Bannister, Chris Lynch, Sonya Taaffe, and Abra Staffin-Wiebe. The cover art is by Mehrdad Isvandi.
Here is the table of contents of issue 56.
Fiction
“Perfect” by Haddayr Copley-Woods
“Steel Snowflakes in My Skull” by Tom Piccirilli
“The Cultist’s Son” by Ferrett Steinmetz
“Repairing the World” by John Chu
“Juniper, Gentian, and Rosemary” by Pamela Dean (eBook/subscriber exclusive)
The Violent Century (extract) by Lavie Tidhar (eBook/subscriber exclusive)
Poetry
“Cogs” by Beth Cato
“Unlabelled Core c. Zanclean (5.33 Ma)” by Michele Bannister
“Tell Me the World is a Forest” by Chris Lynch
“Aristeia” by Sonya Taaffe
Nonfiction
“Resolute: Notes from the Editor-in-Chief” by Sigrid Ellis
“Interview with Cover Artist Mehrdad Isvandi” by Loraine Sammy
“Interview with Ferrett Steinmetz” by Maggie Slater
“After Our Bodies Fail” by Abra Staffin-Wiebe
Podcast Fiction
“Repairing the World” by John Chu