(1) LUKYANENKO ON PROGRAM AT “INVENTING THE FUTURE” IN MOSCOW. Monday 4th through Wednesday 6th saw the staging of the “Inventing the Future” (aka “Creating the Future” in some English language coverage) event in Moscow.  Although billed on its website as an “International Science Fiction Symposium”, neither its stated mission nor agenda made any mention of science fiction:

MISSION

To rekindle society’s interest in designing the future.

AGENDA

The Symposium is a unique space for dialogue among nations about the future of the world. The event is initiated by Russia. Government and business representatives, scientists and engineers, futurists and forecasters, public figures, and representatives of creative industries from BRICS, SCO, CIS countries, and other foreign states, that share the idea of a multipolar world are invited to join the event.

Looking at the schedule, SF writers were on several panels, but seemingly never more than one per panel.  The writers on these panels were mostly Russian, but there were also Italian, Serbian and Chinese authors involved.  The impression given was that science fiction was of far less relevance than the interests of the Russian state, perhaps best illustrated by the fact that Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was a speaker, and at least one point, the image of Vladimir Putin was shown on the video wall behind the stage.  Another speaker apparently compared Steve Jobs to Hitler.

The highest profile SF figure in attendance was Chengdu Worldcon GoH Sergey Lukyanenko, who was on three panels on Tuesday.  A member of staff of the Chengdu SF Museum was also on a panel about museums, and played back a promo video which included clips from their Worldcon.

A 5-minute “news” item from Russia Today hosted on the right-wing Rumble video platform can be viewed here. (Note: Russia Today is banned on most Western platforms now.) In one shot an image of Cixin Liu can be seen on a rotating video display behind the reporter for a couple of seconds – which may not be enough reason to look…. 

(2) THREE MOVIES STILL FAR, FAR AWAY. Variety has revealed a “Star Wars New Movie Trilogy: Simon Kinberg Writing”. It’s in early development and the production timeline is still unknown.

“X-Men” alum Simon Kinberg is preparing to visit a galaxy far, far away.

Lucasfilm is developing a new “Star Wars” trilogy with Kinberg set to write and produce the three films with studio chief Kathleen Kennedy. This will begin a new series with new characters after “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” starring Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver and Oscar Isaac, concluded the original nine-chapter “Skywalker Saga” in 2019. Though plot details haven’t been revealed, Lucasfilm has disputed the notion, first suggested by Deadline in their initial report of the forthcoming trilogy, that Kinberg’s movies will continue the story that George Lucas began with 1977’s “A New Hope,” introducing Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Harrison Ford as Han Solo and Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia….

(3) 2025 WORLDCON ISSUES CALL FOR ACADEMIC PARTICIPANTS. Seattle Worldcon 2025 has issued a “World Science Fiction Convention Academic Track Call for Participants”. Queries, proposals, and any other correspondence may be directed to: Dr. Douglas A. Van Belle at doug.vanbelle@vuw.ac.nz or doug.vanbelle@seattlein2025.org. [Click for larger image.]

(4) WHAT DYSTOPIAS AND HOTCAKES HAVE IN COMMON TODAY. “Sales surge for dystopian books after Trump election victory” – the Guardian has some figures.

Books about democracy, dystopia, tyranny, feminism and far-right politics rapidly climbed bestseller charts in the wake of Donald Trump winning the US presidential election.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, set in a totalitarian society in which women are forced to reproduce, moved up more than 400 places, and is currently third in the US Amazon Best Sellers chart.

On Tyranny by historian Timothy Snyder now sits at spot eight, after climbing hundreds of places over the past day. Readers are also turning to George Orwell’s totalitarian dystopia Nineteen Eighty-Four, which has moved up to 16th place.

Democracy in Retrograde by Sami Sage and Emily Amick is near the top of the Movers and Shakers chart – which ranks the books with the largest sales increases over the past 24 hours – after the book saw a more than 30,000% boost in sales.

Rebecca Solnit’s Men Explain Things to Me is also among the biggest gainers, having climbed more than 40,000 places over the past day. The 2014 collection of feminist essays now sits in the mid-300s on the bestseller chart.

(5) CANCELLING THE U.S. Steve Davidson would like to be the first to announce the United States is no longer a suitable country to host the Worldcon. Your mileage may vary. He wrote on Facebook today:

…You know all of those discussions that were had prior to the Chengdu Worldcon, where I and others were protesting the hosting of a Worldcon in an Authoritarian country whose social values were not reflective of Fandom’s own?

I suggested at the time that WSFS adopt some kind of rule that took into account the human rights/democracy/freedom status of a potential hosting country, and not allow bids from those countries that did not meet minimal criteria?

At the time, a fairly common push-back was that I’d not apply those same criteria to the United States. That I was being “elitist” and “gatekeeping” by making such a statement.

Well, I’m making it now. For at least the next four years the United States will not be a suitable country for hosting Worldcon. It will not be a country that is generally reflective of Fannish values.

It may very well become a country that is hostile to those values.

Now, we can’t do anything about Seattle in 2025 or LA in 2026 – they’re largely set in stone by a different example of the democratic process, and Quebec is bidding for 2027 and Brisbane for 2028, so we may not have to worry about this for a few years.

On the other hand, the US may not be a safe place for many planning on attending Seattle and LA by the time they roll around. I think both committees should be taking that into consideration as they plan their events….

(6) SOAKING UP BRADBURY STORIES. I think this is more like what I am in the mood for today: “Timothy Reads ‘There Will Come Soft Rains’” at Camestros Felapton.

…As the old nursery rhyme goes: “Rain, rain, go away, stop inspiring Rain Brad-baray”. Surprisingly, Rain Bradbury was from Los Angeles and not Manchester but if you think about that it makes sense because it probably doesn’t rain much in Los Angeles, so he was probably always thinking “I wish it would rain”. Now if he was from Manchester, he’d have ended up writing miserable songs about being miserable and the world already has Morrissey to do that….

… What I need you all to do is concentrate really hard. Make the kind of face that I make on the litter box. Somewhere between screwing your features into a ball and yet looking like you are staring into the soul of the universe. Excellent. Now take yourself into the mind of young Rain Bradbury….

(7) PRAISE FOR THE FOURTH DOCTOR. Radio Times hears from Steven Moffat and Russell T Davies as “Doctor Who showrunners celebrate Tom Baker’s ‘miraculous’, ‘genius’ era”.

…[Steven Moffat] added that he loves the fact that Tom Baker’s Doctor “knows he’s on TV”, referencing how he even talks to the camera on a couple of occasions.

“We’ve never quite stopped that,” he continued. “There’s an awareness about it all that means it simply doesn’t matter that the giant rat [in Talons] is a bit silly, because have you noticed Li H’sen Chang?!

“And it doesn’t matter that Li H’sen Chang’s a bit silly, because have you noticed how c**p his plan is?

“It just doesn’t matter, because the show is thoroughly enjoying riffing on those horror tropes, and you’re not meant to take things like giant rats and mummies and Frankenstein’s monster seriously – unless there’s something genuinely wrong with you.”…

(8) OCTOTHORPE. In Episode 122 of the Octothorpe podcast, “Topical Pumpkin” —

We discuss letters of comment, hybrid conventions, awards and the recent news about Oghenochovwe Donald Ekpeki. Pumpkin carved by our very own Alison Scott.

An uncorrected transcript of the episode is available here.

(9) KAZUO UMEZU (1936-2024). “Legendary ‘god of horror’ manga artist Kazuo Umezu dies at 88” – GamesRadar+ pays tribute.

…His work on classics like The Drifting Classroom, My Name is Shingo, Cat Eyed Boy, and God’s Left Hand, Devil’s Right Hand is widely beloved by manga readers, while also being regarded as hugely influential on a wide range of other artists, including the likes of Junji Ito, Minetarō Mochizuki, and Urusei Yatsura creator Rumiko Takahashi, who worked as his assistant for a short time….

…Umezu moved to Tokyo in 1963 and really began to hone his style – a distinctive combination of shōjo aesthetics and horror imagery – with stories usually about children facing overwhelming supernatural forces. Nekome no Shōjo and Reptilia, the latter about a monstrous snake woman, were both published in manga magazine Shōjo Friend and proved hugely popular with readers.

As the ’60s came to an end, Umezu began to publish in shonen magazines. His epic story The Drifting Classroom – about a classroom of school children transported into a terrifying post-apocalyptic future – ran between 1972 and 1974 in Weekly Shōnen Sunday and left an eerie mark on the imagination of a generation of manga readers thanks to its terrifying nuclear themes….

…While horror is the genre that Umezu is best known for, he was a very versatile artist, also drawing comedy and science fiction manga, such as the goofy Makoto-chan and My Name is Shingo for Big Comic Spirits from 1982 to 1986, which proved to be another hit and one that was later honored at the prestigious Angoulême International Comics Festival in 2016….

(10) TODAY’S BIRTHDAY.

[Written by Paul Weimer.]

Born November 7, 1960 — Linda Nagata, 64.

By Paul Weimer: I am an old school fan of Nagata’s work, going back to her “first iteration” as a space opera/far future/cyberpunk author with the Nanotech Succession novels beginning with The Bohr Maker. The combination of space opera, post-humanity, and thriller was a winning combination for me, and I read the remaining books in that series eagerly. 

Nagata went quiet in SFF circles for a while. I enjoyed her forays into fantasy, but kept hoping that she would “Return” to the good stuff, posthumans and high tech in space.  She did eventually (see below) but before she got there, she burst back on the SF scene with a near future story of AI, soldiers and the costs of continual war and violence, THE RED. The Red was notable in being a rare (if perhaps the first, maybe) self-published book that got a Nebula nomination. This was the Nagata whose work I remembered, and it knocked my socks off and brought me “back” to her reading fold, as did its sequels.

The Inverted Frontier series, however, is her best work yet. Set in the same world as the Nanotech Succession novels but centuries later (and featuring a couple of the characters and places of that series), the Blade books are a bold stamp on future post-human high tech SF of a kind that is relatively uncommon these days (Marina Lostetter’s Noumenon series comes to mind). The Blade series has an episodic and pyramid building format, as a group of post humans, almost in BSG style are headed toward a shining beacon known as…Earth.  Actually, they don’t know what has happened to Earth but they have decided to find out. Between other post humans acting as Gods, strange aliens, very dangerous reality-shaping technology and much more. The last, and final book, as of this writing is to come, and I am very curious to see where Nagata takes this series. I don’t think you need to read the Nanotech Succession books to read the Inverted Frontier novels, but it does help a bit with context.

(11) COMICS SECTION.

• Brewster Rockit shows how it’s really going to be.
• Crabgrass shows you can check out (the book) any time you want, but you can never leave (the series).
• The Argyle Sweater serves unwanted drinks.
• Wizard of Id decides it pays to advertise.
• Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal knows credentials.

(12) A BIG DEAL. Episode 6 of Scott Edelman’s Why Not Say What Happened? podcast features “A Highly Redacted 1978 DC Comics Poker Game”.

With the future seeming bleak, I felt the need to gaze into the past instead, sharing about the day in 1970 I met Jim Steranko, the reason I continually cause archivists to cry, my day trip to see Steve Ditko’s pre-Marvel sketch of Dr. Strange, my night at a highly redacted 1978 DC Comics poker game, which writing of mine Barry Malzberg immediately suggested I burn, the thickness of time at the 1979 Clarion Science Fiction Writing Workshop, why, when, and where I intend to destroy fifty years of journals, and more.

(13) CENTENARIAN POOH. “How Does It Feel to Turn 100? Ask Winnie-the-Pooh” – an imagined chat in the New York Times. (Regrettably, behind a paywall.)

“Pooh,” I said, “your stories have a Distinctive and Irresistible Manner.”

“Do they?” said Winnie-the-Pooh.

“Oh yes,” I said, “it’s practically contagious. Have you heard of the Walt Disney Company? They make versions of your stories. They aren’t very interesting versions, but they’ve made the company extremely rich.”

“That is a fine thing for them,” said Pooh. “If you are Extremely Rich, you can have as much honey as you want.”

“Certainly you may. You could probably fill a lake with honey.”

“I can’t imagine that would be very helpful,” said Pooh, “for the Fish.”

“No indeed. It’s unfortunate in some ways. But still, you must enjoy being so famous.”…

(14) OZ ICONS WILL GO ON THE BLOCK. “Hollywood/Entertainment Signature® Auction Featuring the Ruby Slippers” on December 7. The Wicked Witch of the West’s hat will also be up for bidding.

The Ruby Slippers are much more than a Hollywood artifact—they represent the essence of innocence and imagination, captivating millions who stand in awe before them each year at The Smithsonian. This extraordinary pair, known as Michael Shaw’s Ruby Slippers, is one of only four remaining from the original MGM production of The Wizard of Oz. Separated from their Smithsonian counterparts in 1970, these slippers have toured the country and were displayed at the Judy Garland Museum before their infamous theft and dramatic FBI recovery in 2018.

Handcrafted by the Innes Shoe Co., these slippers are richly detailed with sequined silk georgette, white leather linings, and rhinestone-bedecked bows, bearing Judy Garland’s name written inside in block letters. Forensically verified as screen-worn in scenes like the iconic heel-tap, they offer unmatched authenticity and historical value. With exquisite burgundy hues preserved by careful storage, these Ruby Slippers are primed to become the centerpiece of any world-class collection.

The Wicked Witch of the West’s hat from The Wizard of Oz stands alongside the Ruby Slippers as one of the most iconic Hollywood artifacts of all time. This vintage, screen-worn hat, designed by Adrian and originally acquired by renowned collector Michael Shaw in 1970, embodies cinematic history. For the first time since the infamous 2005 theft of Shaw’s Ruby Slippers—now recovered and also up for auction—this Wicked Witch hat reunites with its legendary counterpart.

Constructed of black wool bunting, with a 20-inch elastic chinstrap used during Margaret Hamilton’s flying scenes, the hat features an MGM Studio label inside the rim, handwritten “M. Hamilton.” Its authenticity is further reinforced by its inclusion in The Wizardry of Oz and expert matching to the Munchkinland introduction scene where Hamilton’s menacing character looms over Oz. Complete with a custom display head capturing Hamilton’s terrifying expression, this hat’s cultural significance transcends generations, symbolizing the dark allure of Hollywood’s greatest villain.

(15) BUY THE TARDIS. Meanwhile, at a Propstore auction, “Doctor Who fans have chance to bid for Jodie Whittaker’s actual TARDIS”; Radio Times has details.

Doctor Who fans have a chance to buy Jodie Whittaker’s TARDIS from Eve of the Daleks in an upcoming auction to benefit BBC Children in Need.

The episode finds the Thirteenth Doctor (Whittaker) and her companions Yaz (Mandip Gill) and Dan (John Bishop) as they attempt to escape a time loop on New Year’s Eve – while also avoiding a Dalek trapped there with them.

The auction starts on Friday 15th November at 5pm and goes on until the same time on Saturday 23rd November, with the coveted item expected to reach between £10,000 and £20,000 for the annual fundraiser. Propstore is handling the sale.

(16) YOUR NATIONAL MEMORY HOLE AT WORK. ArtNet has learned “The National Archives Museum Is Under Fire for Allegedly Scrubbing Difficult Historical Events”.

…The National Archives Museum, under the leadership of U.S. Archivist Colleen Shogan and her top advisers at the National Archives and Records Administration, has allegedly modified planned and existing exhibits involving subjects like the government’s treatment of Native Americans and the history of birth control medication in favor of more anodyne subjects, according to numerous anonymous staffers speaking to the Wall Street Journal, which broke the story. 

The museum is planning a $40 million overhaul ahead of the 2026 anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

“Visitors shouldn’t feel confronted, they should feel welcomed,” a senior official told employees according to the Journal.

Shogan and her advisors reportedly were concerned that planned exhibits might anger Republicans, who have partial oversight over the museum’s budgets, or a potential second Trump administration….

… In a reply to the Wall Street Journal published on the organization’s blog, Shogan criticized the paper’s “misinformed perspective” but did not refute any of the acts alleged in its reporting. Asked by Artnet News to refute individual allegations by staffers, a press rep instead offered a website including renderings and descriptions of the planned galleries.

One exhibit at the museum involves a photo booth in which visitors can have their own image superimposed next to images of historic figures. Reportedly removed from this display were images of civil rights crusader Martin Luther King Jr., labor union activist Dolores Huerta, and the first Native American woman to join the Marine Corps, Minnie Spotted-Wolf. Senior aides to Shogan ordered these images removed and replaced with non-controversial shots of Republican presidents, including Richard Nixon greeting Elvis Presley, and Ronald Reagan with baseball star Cal Ripken Jr., according to the Journal….

(17) WILL THEY SLICE THE ICE? “Antarctica: is coldest continent heading for chaos?” asks The Week.

For over 60 years Antarctica has been a “veritable Shangri-La”, said The Economist, “untouched by war, unspoilt by humans, where all nationalities are welcome”.

While Britain, Argentina, Australia, Norway, France, New Zealand and Chile have long held territorial claims over the vast continent, since 1961 it has been governed by the Antarctic Treaty which guaranteed its use for peaceful purposes and scientific research.

The treaty has “endured and expanded” for so long “due partly to its wisdom and partly because defying it, in practical terms, is hard to do”, wrote former Royal Navy icebreaker captain Tom Sharpe in The Telegraph. There has been the sense though that “as soon as Antarctica’s vast resources become economically worth the risk of exploiting, this would change….

… For decades The Antarctic Treaty was “widely regarded as a model of effective global co-operation”, said The Economist. It froze any future territorial claims, effectively removing it from the Cold War geopolitical struggle waged elsewhere around the world between the capitalist West and the Soviet Union.

“But now this model is falling apart” as China, Russia, and other emerging nations threaten a new scramble for control of the resource-rich continent.

The US still has the largest footprint on the continent, but China’s is growing the fastest. It recently completed its fifth base “for scientific purposes” and as it strengthens its presence has been accused of “teaming up with Russia to up-end governance in this critical polar region”, The Maritime Executive reported….

(18) A GORN FOOTPRINT? Geological news: “TMU Students Discover First Mammalian Footprint Fossil At Vasquez Rocks”. Does this photo bring back memories? That’s the inspiration for the title.

In September, TMU students and alumni presented seven research abstracts to the Geological Society of America (GSA) in Anaheim, California. GSA is an international academic conference representing the earth sciences.

However, one presentation garnered more attention. “Doggy Go Walkies” was a TMU research project on a fossil footprint found at Vasquez Rocks Natural Area.

“I took students out to Vasquez Rocks for an Essentials of Geology lab. A couple of students were pointing at mud cracks and we looked down and there was a tiny footprint. We didn’t know it at the time, but this was the first fossil footprint ever found in the park,” said Dr. Matthew McLain, Dean of the School of Science, Math, Technology & Health and associate professor of biology and geology, in an article for TMU.

According to Dr. McLain, footprints were from a hesperocyontine, a small carnivore that is now extinct but distantly related to North American canines.

“It’s cool to know, of course, what kind of animals were walking around here in the past. We’ve got a few tracks on the same surface, and so that’s exciting to learn a little bit about what animals were doing in the past out here, and we’re hoping to go and find some more tracks in that area, because there should be animals like camels walking around. There’s some other things you would expect to find. And so it’s just giving us a window into the past world that California had,” Dr. McLain said….

(19) YOU’VE GOT SYMPATHY CARDS. “Voice of AOL’s Iconic ‘You’ve Got Mail’ Alert Dies at 74” reports Gizmodo.

Millennials, pour one out. TMZ reports that Elwood Edwards, the voice behind AOL’s iconic “You’ve Got Mail” audio message, has died at age 74. His former employer, WKYC-TV Studios in Cleveland, confirmed that Edwards died of an unknown illness.

Elwood is said to have worked at WKYC-TV in Ohio for years operating cameras and working graphics, among other roles. In 1989 he was paid $200 to record four different lines for AOL, then a burgeoning provider of dial-up internet and a web portal: “Welcome,” “You’ve Got Mail,” “Files Done,” and “Goodbye.” Sometimes AOL would trigger the “You’ve Got Mail” message even if you didn’t have mail, which would always get the heart pumping in those adolescent courtship days.

AOL was an internet pioneer back in the ’90s, bringing many people online for the first time. It introduced the public to new forms of communication, like instant messaging and chat rooms. Portals were a big idea back then — Prodigy and CompuServe also offered a broad range of online services like email, for a fee….

[Thanks to Cat Eldridge, SF Concatenation’s Jonathan Cowie, Steven French, Kathy Sullivan, Teddy Harvia, 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 Jon Meltzer.]