(1) BOLLINGER EVERYMAN WODEHOUSE SHORTLIST. The Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Comic Fiction Prize shortlist includes two genre works — High Voltage and Ministry of Time.

The Bollinger is awarded to “the funniest novel of the past 12 months, which best evokes the Wodehouse spirit of witty characters and perfectly-timed comic phrases.”

• A Beginner’s Guide to Breaking and Entering by Andrew Hunter Murray (Hutchinson Heinemann)
• Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon (Fig Tree)  
• Good Material by Dolly Alderton (Fig Tree)
• High Vaultage by Chris Sugden and Jen Sugden (Gollancz)
• The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (Sceptre)
• The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue (Virago)
• You Are Here by David Nicholls – published by (Sceptre)

The winner will be announced December 2.

In winning the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Comic Fiction Prize, you get not only a jeroboam of the Special Cuvée, but also a case of Bollinger La Grande Année, a complete set of the Everyman’s Library PG Wodehouse collection and, most entertaining, a pig who is to be named after your winning book.

(2) PRIMATES APLENTY. Dave Hook rounds up all the sfnal variations he can find that address the literature Infinite Monkeys might produce in “Monkeys and Shakespeare: The Infinite Monkey Theorem and Speculative Fiction” at A Deep Look by Dave Hook.

…I read nine stories and one essay for this blog post. I suspect there might be more stories out there connected to the Infinite Monkey Theorem, and I’d love to hear from my readers with other suggestions….

He analyzes (beware spoilers) and rates them all.

(3) ONE WAY TO GET A HANDLE ON YOUR POPCORN CONSUMPTION. “AMC Reveals Its Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim 27-Inch Popcorn Bucket” – CBR.com shows it to you.

…Commemorative popcorn buckets are increasing in popularity, with these collectibles released for movies such as Dune, Wicked and Gladiator II, among others. The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim arrives in theaters in the U.S. on Dec. 13, 2024, alongside its own exclusive popcorn bucket. The long handle of the movie’s war hammer replica is designed to appear as though it’s wrapped in leather, with a gray and red face and a gold spike on top. Fans will be able to purchase the limited-edition ‘hammer bucket’ at AMC theaters for $32.99 (not including tax), but only while supplies last.

Some people have complained that this popcorn bucket is potentially deadly, being modeled after a weapon and closely resembling one as well. While the design of the bucket is made to immerse fans in the experience of the movie, it’s also now being called the “most dangerous” popcorn bucket ever. Buyers of this product are urged to exercise caution and good judgment when wielding it.

For those who don’t want a potentially inconvenient 27-inch long popcorn bucket to snack from, another item is also being sold in celebration of the release of the upcoming movie — a faux-wooden stein (or traditional beer mug) with the official Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim logo on the side…. 

(4) MURAKAMI Q&A. [Item by Steven French.] Tangentially genre related: “Haruki Murakami: ‘My books have been criticised so much over the years, I don’t pay much attention’”

… Japanese fiction now represents a quarter of all translated fiction sold in Britain. Why do you think it has such a wide appeal?
I didn’t know that Japanese novels are that popular in Britain. What’s the reason? I have no idea. Maybe you could tell me – I’d like to know.

The Japanese economy is not doing well these days, and I think it’s a good thing that cultural exports can make a contribution of sorts, though literary exports don’t make that much of one, do they?

Did Mieko Kawakami’s criticism of the women in your books, made in 2017, have any effect on how you write female characters?
My books have been criticised so much over the years that I can’t remember in what context the criticisms were made. And I don’t pay much attention to it, either.

Mieko is a close friend and a very intelligent woman, so I’m sure whatever criticism she made was spot on. But honestly, I don’t recall what exactly she criticised. Speaking of women and my works, though, incidentally my readers are pretty much equally divided between men and women, a fact that makes me very happy….

And if you want to know more about those popular Japanese novels, read the Guardian’s article, “Surrealism, cafes and lots (and lots) of cats: why Japanese fiction is booming “.

…The popularity of modern Japanese fiction is not a new phenomenon in the UK … In the 1990s, two writers broke through and became cult hits in this country. Haruki Murakami, a worldwide literary phenomenon, took off in Britain when Harvill Press published The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle in 1998. Scott Pack, who ran Waterstones’ buying team in the early 2000s, is a big Murakami fan and remembers giving him “lots of attention. Whatever books of his came out, we got massively behind.” This week, Murakami publishes his 15th novel The City and Its Uncertain Walls, about a man who travels to a mysterious walled town in pursuit of the woman he loves, finding himself in a strange world of libraries, maps and dreams. So what’s behind the lasting success of Murakami’s books, which tend to combine lonely protagonists, jazz, cats, and fantasy elements? “It’s fairly accessible, weird shit,” Pack says….

(5) DIALED IN.  Sharon Lee is restarting her blog with shares like “Opening the windows”:

…Speaking of Just Me, I decided that I would watch “Astrid” last night (people who love the show, my comments are about the show not about you or your preferences in pleasure viewing). I will not be continuing. Not only does the first segment start with a man dousing himself with gasoline and lighting himself on fire on-screen, Astrid herself was a little too close to home. I remember mapping out phone calls before I made them, so I’d be sure to transmit the correct information in a socially normal way, and the feeling of panic when there was a vary. (I once called somebody to ask them a question before I had Breathed In, and when they answered the phone said, “MynameisSharonLeecallingforXandIwouldliketoknowthisnthat.” The person I was calling paused for a moment, then said, very gently, “Wow. Are you from New York?”) I’ve gotten much better, with lots of practice, and lots of years, about making eye contact when talking to people, but it was sorta painful to watch. This is, in case it’s not clear, a tribute to the actor who plays Astrid. She clearly Gets It….

(6) LONG-REMEMBERED THUNDER. [Item by Steven French.] Sometimes a line in an obituary will raise the old eyebrows! Peter Sinfield, who has recently passed away, wrote the lyrics for late 60s/early 70s ‘prog rock’ band King Crimson, as well as going on to write a number of pop hits (including for Celine Dion). And amidst all the music production details, there’s an interesting genre related connection: “Peter Sinfield obituary” in the Guardian.

…In 1979 he narrated Robert Sheckley’s In a Land of Clear Colors, an audio sci-fi story with music by Brian Eno….

Editor’s note: I’m running this item because I remember that my friend Richard Wadholm was a big fan of their first album, In the Court of the Crimson King (1969). And that if it had been within his power, I’d have been a big fan, too.

(7) KORY HEATH (1970-2024). W. Eric Martin pays tribute to the late Kory Heath at BoardGameGeek:  “In Memoriam: Kory Heath”.

Designer Kory Heath took his own life on November 18, 2024, after “enduring years of chronic pain and depression”, in the words of John Cooper, who co-designed The Gang with Kory.

More from Cooper: “He was a genius, also funny, kind, patient. I’m so grateful we could spend so many years, laughs, and tears together, and that he knew he was deeply loved by all of his friends.”

Kory was best known for his game Zendo, a game of inductive logic in which the master exhibits two “koans” — one following a secret rule created by the master, one violating this rule — and students create koans of their own in order to determine what this rule is.

…Kory Heath’s list of published games is an eclectic one: the party game Why Did The Chicken…?, in which players create punchlines for randomly generated situations; the inductive logic game Zendo, in which players try to determine rules for constructing figures; the bluffing game Criminals; and the abstract game Uptown….

(8) MEMORY LANE.

[Written by Paul Weimer.]

Anniversary, November 23, 1963 — Doctor Who premieres

It would take years for me to see An Unearthly Child, the premiere of Doctor Who.  On PBS in NYC, the Fourth Doctor was the first Doctor widely shown in the states, and for years, was the only one. Eventually a channel on Long Island branched out from the Fourth Doctor, showing what they called “The Doctor Who movies”–basically an entire serial in one go on a Saturday evening. They started with the Fourth Doctor, moved to the then new to me Fifth Doctor.  And then after the end of the Fifth Doctor’s run (The Caves of Androzani), they then went back to the beginning. Back to the First Doctor…

Back to the premiere of Doctor Who…An Unearthly Child which happened on this date in 1963 on BBC.  I had already seen the First Doctor, but not the original actor. The First Doctor appears, as played by Richard Hurndall. So I knew the First Doctor as a somewhat crotchety figure…but William Hartnell’s appearance was completely revelatory as the original and sometimes very alien First Doctor.  He is brutal and savage and ready to commit a bit of murder right there in the first serial. I appreciated the mystery of the Doctor as Ian and Barbara try and figure out what’s so strange about their student, Susan, and the terror and horror in being cast in time and space. I still think the episode holds up, the premiere of Doctor Who, even today. A story of progress, and tolerance, and trying to understand things beyond your ken (on several levels). And so ably directed by Verity Lambert, the BBC’s first female drama producer. 

Those “Doctor Who movies”, starting chronologically with An Unearthly Child, would cement my love of Doctors other than the Fourth (especially the Third) and I suppose in a sense were the original “binge watching” for Doctor Who. And the Doctor Who movie format made me ready, in 1996, for the TV movie, on a snowy television set. But that, as they say, is a story for another day.

(9) COMICS SECTION.

• Junk Drawer depicts an AI that’s still learning how to rebel.
• Jane’s World is retelling The Last Starfighter – and no wonder he’s the last.
• Pearls Before Swine finds another difference between print books and ereaders.
• The Argyle Sweater adds a ninja turtle.
• The Wrong Hands talks to a paradox.
• The Other Coast makes a marriage work.
• Pervis prefers to think about it differently:

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(10) GET YOUR GRAINS OF SALT READY. “‘Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse’ Reportedly Scrapped & Rewritten” – Movieweb tells what they know.

Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse won’t be following up on that crazy cliffhanger anytime soon, if the latest rumor is to be believed. Ever since the upcoming Across the Spider-Verse sequel was delayed from its 2024 release date, fans have wondered what is happening with the highly-anticipated project. It currently has no set release date, and Sony never even officially acknowledged that major change. Rumors have since circulated about its production woes, and the latest report explains why development on Beyond the Spider-Verse has been at a standstill.

According to Brandon Davis (via World of Reel), Sony scrapped what they completed for Beyond the Spider-Verse shortly after the release of Across the Spider-Verse. Moreover, the script was thrown away and set to be rewritten, and it’s not clear if that process is complete yet. The craziest part is that the studio reportedly still doesn’t have an ending in place for the trilogy, and that has not changed yet. Of course, this should be taken with a grain of salt until proven otherwise, but the writing has been on the wall for the past year. Originally slated to release on Mar. 29, 2024, Beyond the Spider-Verse remains away from the Sony release schedule….

(11) HISTORIC HOLLYWOOD PROPERTY WILL HAVE NEW FOLKS PULLING THE STRINGS. SFGate says there’s a way to tour the old Chaplin/Jim Henson studio, which can’t be counted on to be around for much longer now that the place has new owners: “Hollywood A-listers buy Jim Henson’s LA studio for $40 million”.

…Given that its departure seems imminent, fans may want to pay their way into one last La Brea lot tour while they can. Here’s how: If you book a VIP ticket to the vulgar and “perverted” improv puppet show “Puppet Up!” — which will run you $175 — you’ll be instructed to arrive an hour and a half early. That’s when a Henson Company tour guide will take you around the lot for a rare look at this treasure trove.

Chaplin’s fingerprints (and literal footprints, in the concrete) are all over the space, which he built starting in 1917. (If you want to see how wildly different LA looked back then, Chaplin shot his studio’s construction as part of a never-released film that was completed years later.)  The stage where “Puppet Up!” takes place is Chaplin’s former soundstage, and the hand saw — as well as the barn — that the actor-director used to build sets is still on the lot. Even the vault where Chaplin stored his coveted reels for famous films like “The Kid” (which was shot on site) is still nestled inside the reception office, although these days it holds office supplies like a printer and a fax machine. 

There are fascinating asides during the tour, too, that explain quirky touches like why certain doors are located several feet off the ground: It’s because the lot used to hold a swimming pool, which Chaplin used to film several movies of his. The conference room also features a comically large table, which has been there since the A&M days because, apparently, the movers couldn’t get it out of the doors….

(12) ARTEMIS NEWS. “NASA chooses SpaceX and Blue Origin to deliver rover, astronaut base to the moon” reports Space.com.

NASA is keeping its foot on the gas for the space agency’s Artemis program, announcing plans to assign demonstration missions for the two vehicles it has picked to land astronauts on the moon.

Both SpaceX and Blue Origin were awarded contracts for NASA’s Human Landing System, and have been in the process of designing their respective vehicles for returning astronauts to the surface of the moon. Now, NASA has given both companies a heads-up to expect to put those designs to the test in some upcoming qualification missions that will task them with sending large cargo to the moon.The mission assignments follow a 2023 request from NASA, which also directed SpaceX and Blue Origin to build cargo variants of their lunar landers, the space agency indicated in a statement. Having two different lunar landing systems to choose from will give NASA flexibility for both crew and cargo missions, while also “ensuring a regular cadence of moon landings for continued discovery and scientific opportunity,” said Stephen D. Creech, NASA’s assistant deputy associate administrator for technical at the agency’s Moon to Mars Program Office….

… “Based on current design and development progress for both crew and cargo landers and the Artemis mission schedules for the crew lander versions, NASA assigned a pressurized rover mission for SpaceX and a lunar habitat delivery for Blue Origin,” Human Landing System program manager Lisa Watson-Morgan said in the statement.

The pressurized rover Starship will deliver is being developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and is currently targeted to launch in 2032 to support missions after Artemis 6, according to NASA. Blue Origin’s lunar habitat is slated sometime a year later, 2033….

(13) OUT TO LAUNCH. “I Renovated a Missile Silo for $800,000. It’s Not for Everyone” – Business Insider finds out how it was done.

This is an as-told-to essay based on a conversation with GT Hill, a 49-year-old former director of technical marketing who lives in Vilonia, Arkansas. He bought a $90,000 decommissioned missile silo and turned it into an Airbnb….

…  really wanted to dig it up and see what was in there. Initially, I intended to make it a house for my family.

Lastly, I was interested in owning a missile silo because it’s just kick ass. The place has 7,000-pound doors. Its three floors are made out of a steel structure nicknamed “the birdcage.”

It’s on eight springs and actually hangs from the ceiling. And the reason is if it gets hit by a bomb, it allows the structure to shake to try to preserve the equipment and the people inside….

… Titan II was denuclearized after the US and Russia signed a 1979 treaty to limit each country’s nuclear weapons. The US disarmed Titan II as part of that negotiation, called the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks II or SALT II….

… There are no walls and doors, so there’s no real primary bedroom. The top floor has a king bed, a large, open shower, and a free-standing bathtub. The middle floor has two queen beds that we can move to make more space. Then, the kitchen and the living room are on the bottom floor, which also doubles as a dance floor and can turn into a club.

We host anything on the property, including meetings. If it’s semi-legal and people want to do it there and pay for it, we’re fine with it.

The first booking we got was in November 2020. It was a couple coming for their honeymoon, but they got a little too intoxicated at their wedding to make the trip. They sent their best man instead….

(14) NEW RELEASE FROM STARSHIP SLOANE PUBLISHING.

A Wereshark’s Memoir by Justin T. O’Conor Sloane

A novelette following the fantastical journey of an immortal sea captain across the centuries, whose turbulent life as a pirate and a wereshark is by turns beautiful and haunting.

In his magnum opus Ethics published posthumously in 1677,Spinoza argues that God is substance. Evil is substance in A Wereshark’s Memoir by Justin Sloane. Original, frightening, and beautiful, this work is a study into the impossibility of evil to reign over the human race. It is a fiction of the open wound. It hurts and it makes you invent a therapy to alleviate pain. Often this is impossible. In a way, it is a subtle analysis of what society suffers from today. As Justin Sloane puts it, “Time is neither friend nor foe. But it can be made either.” —Zdravka Evtimova, 4x best novel of Bulgaria and author of He May Wear My Silence

With all the linguistic beauty of scientific romance, and a splash of cosmic horror, Mr. Sloane takes us on an aquatic romp through piracy, love, and death. Fans of William Hope Hodgson will want to devour this tale. —Jean-Paul L. Garnier, editor of Star*Line magazine and author of Garbage In, Gospel Out

Justin Sloane’s A Wereshark’s Memoir is a true megalodon of a novelette, howling hammerheaded through the centuries, timeless like that eldest breed named for Greenland. Equal parts werewolf, shark, and swashbuckler who befriends Blackbeard himself, Sloane’s narrator, sea-bewitched, bioluminescent shape-shifter, proves at least as haunted as a Ulysses unable ever to return home. —Dr. Matt Schumacher, editor of Phantom Drift: A Journal of New Fabulism and author of The Fire Diaries: Poems

Available everywhere for only $5.99.

(15) VIDEO OF THE DAY. The ultimate in nostalgia. “Family Feud: Gilligan’s Island Vs. Batman”. What year was this?

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