Ansible 298 -- May 2012

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ANSIBLE 298
MAY 2012

From DAVID LANGFORD, 94 London Road, Reading, Berks, RG1 5AU, UK. Web news.ansible.co.uk. ISSN 0265-9816 (print); 1740-942X (e). Available for SAE, Whuffie, or an oyster shell inside a skull.

[NET NOTE. See http://news.ansible.co.uk/a298.html for the nice HTML version. Mailing list subscribe/unsubscribe information appears below -- please don't send such requests to my own e-mail address. DRL]


OLYMPUS 2012. It was a big Eastercon. With 1400 members crowding the Heathrow Radisson hotel's fire limit, advance registration closed early and there were no at-door memberships -- an Eastercon first. The _Guardian_ report (9 April, with a photo of GoH George R.R. Martin looking cuddly) was summed up thus at Making Light: 'Iron law of universe violated -- SF convention receives positive, level-headed coverage from local press'. Everyone, and especially GRRM himself, was photographed on his Iron Throne -- conveniently placed in the hotel lobby.

FUTURE EASTERCONS. GoH Paul Cornell's call for panel gender parity ('If I'm on, at any convention this year, a panel that doesn't have a 50/50 gender split (I'll settle for two out of five), I'll hop off that panel, and find a woman to take my place.') was hotly debated at Olympus and especially in Eastercon bidding, despite a lack of opposing bids. EightSquaredCon (Bradford 2013) went for a gender parity policy; Satellite 4 (Glasgow 2014) wanted the best panellists irrespective of gender; controversy happened; both bids were voted in. Details below.

NAMEDROPS. Also seen doing things highly characteristic of themselves were GOHs Cory Doctorow, Tricia Sullivan, Margaret Austin and Martin Easterbrook, plus Jacq Monahan (TAFF) and Kylie Ding (GUFF).

BSFA AWARDS. This presentation also included the James White Award for an unpublished short -- being Colum Paget's 'Invocation of the Lurker' -- and MC John Meaney's 40-minute attempt on the Audience Endurance Marathon, channelling (as Marion Pitman put it) his inner Bernard Manning to a silently tweeted chorus of 'hideous trainwreck', 'Walkout now in progress', etc. NOVEL Christopher Priest, _The Islanders_. Priest to audience of voters: 'I suppose you all have to resign now.' SHORT Paul Cornell, 'The Copenhagen Interpretation'. ARTWORK Dominic Harman. NONFICTION John Clute, David Langford, Peter Nicholls and Graham Sleight, eds., _The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, Third Edition_. (Peter being in far-off Melbourne and John in abyssal Camden Town, the remaining chief editors were left to grab the glory.) Another first: the BSFA Award has never before taken the form of a cut-out plastic ray-gun on a base made from old sf paperbacks bolted together.

THE HUGO SHORTLIST was announced on Saturday night; a record 1101 ballots had been cast.
     NOVEL (932 ballots) Jo Walton, _Among Others_; George R.R. Martin, _A Dance With Dragons_; Mira Grant, _Deadline_; China Mieville, _Embassytown_; James S.A. Corey, _Leviathan Wakes_.
     NOVELLA (473) Mira Grant, _Countdown_; Carolyn Ives Gilman, 'The Ice Owl' (_F&SF_ 11/11); Mary Robinette Kowal, 'Kiss Me Twice' (_Asimov's_ 6/11); Kij Johnson, 'The Man Who Bridged the Mist' (_Asimov's_ 9/11); Ken Liu, 'The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary' (_Panverse 3_); Catherynne M. Valente, _Silently and Very Fast_ (_WSFA_).
     NOVELETTE (499) Paul Cornell, 'The Copenhagen Interpretation' (_Asimov's_ 7/11); Rachel Swirsky, 'Fields of Gold' (_Eclipse Four_); Brad R. Torgersen, 'Ray of Light' (_Analog_ 12/11); Charlie Jane Anders, 'Six Months, Three Days' (Tor.com); 'What We Found' by Geoff Ryman (_F&SF_ 3/11).
     SHORT STORY (593) E. Lily Yu, 'The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees' (_Clarkesworld_ 4/11); Mike Resnick, 'The Homecoming' (_Asimov's_ 4/11); Nancy Fulda, 'Movement' (_Asimov's_ 3/11); Ken Liu, 'The Paper Menagerie' by (_F&SF_ 3/11); John Scalzi, 'Shadow War of the Night Dragons: Book One: The Dead City: Prologue'.
     RELATED WORK (461) John Clute, David Langford, Peter Nicholls and Graham Sleight, eds., _The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, Third Edition_; Daniel M. Kimmel, _Jar Jar Binks Must Die ... and Other Observations about Science Fiction Movies_; Jeff VanderMeer and S. J. Chambers, _The Steampunk Bible: An Illustrated Guide to the World of Imaginary Airships, Corsets and Goggles, Mad Scientists, and Strange Literature_; Seanan McGuire, _Wicked Girls_; Brandon Sanderson, Dan Wells, Howard Tayler, Mary Robinette Kowal and Jordan Sanderson, _Writing Excuses, Season 6_.
     GRAPHIC STORY (339) Ursula Vernon, _Digger_; Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham, _Fables Vol 15: Rose Red_; Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez, _Locke & Key Volume 4, Keys to the Kingdom_; Howard Tayler and Travis Walton, _Schlock Mercenary: Force Multiplication_; Mike Carey and Peter Gross, _The Unwritten (Volume 4): Leviathan_.
     DRAMATIC -- LONG (592) _Captain America: The First Avenger_, _Game of Thrones_ (Season 1), _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2_, _Hugo_, _Source Code_.
     DRAMATIC -- SHORT (512) _Doctor Who_: 'The Doctor's Wife'; '_The Drink Tank_'s Hugo Acceptance Speech'; _Doctor Who_: 'The Girl Who Waited'; _Doctor Who_: 'A Good Man Goes to War'; _Community_: 'Remedial Chaos Theory'.
     SEMIPROZINE (357) _Apex Magazine_, _Interzone_, _Lightspeed_, _Locus_, _New York Review of Science Fiction_.
     FANZINE (322) _Banana Wings_, _The Drink Tank_, _File 770_, _Journey Planet_, _SF Signal_.
     FANCAST (326) _The Coode Street Podcast_, _Galactic Suburbia Podcast_, _SF Signal Podcast_, _SF Squeecast_, _StarShipSofa_.
     PRO EDITOR -- LONG (358) Lou Anders, Liz Gorinsky, Anne Lesley Groell, Patrick Nielsen Hayden, Betsy Wollheim.
     PRO EDITOR -- SHORT (512) John Joseph Adams, Neil Clarke, Stanley Schmidt, Jonathan Strahan, Sheila Williams.
     PRO ARTIST (399) Dan dos Santos, Bob Eggleton, Michael Komarck, Stephan Martiniere, John Picacio.
     FAN ARTIST (216) Brad W. Foster, Randall Munroe, Spring Schoenhuth, Maurine Starkey, Steve Stiles, Taral Wayne.
     FAN WRITER (360) James Bacon, Claire Brialey, Christopher J Garcia, Jim C. Hines, Steven H Silver.
     JOHN W. CAMPBELL AWARD (396) Mur Lafferty, Stina Leicht, Karen Lord, Brad R. Torgersen, E. Lily Yu.
     Several palpitating nominees attended the Olympus announcement. Graham Sleight introduced himself to George R.R. Martin, 'and he very benignly asked who I was. I said I was one of the editors of the _SF Encyclopedia_. He paused, cogitated, and then said: "But you don't _look_ like Peter Nicholls."'


### THE INEXORABILITY OF THE SPECIOUS ###

PHILIP K. DICK reacts to a tv piece on _Blade Runner_: 'This indeed is not science fiction; it is not fantasy; it is exactly what Harrison _[Ford]_ said: futurism.' (letter, 11 October 1981, now at www.philipkdick.com) [DB]

MALCOLM EDWARDS was described as 'deceptively vicar-like' in a 20 April _Private Eye_ squib about Orion's timely 'saucy stunt' of reissuing George R.R. Martin's 1983 thriller _The Armageddon Rag_ with a design just slightly reminiscent of the UK HarperCollins _A Dance with Dragons_.

IAIN GRAY, the former Scots Labour leader who presided over his party's humiliating defeat in Scotland's last parliamentary election, confesses in _The Scotsman_ that he loves Iain M. Banks but wasn't then allowed to say so: 'those around me felt that admitting to enjoying science fiction would be political suicide.' (Scotsman.com, 18 April) The triumph of the SNP's Alex Salmond, a long-uncloseted _Star Trek_ fan, suggests that honesty may have advantages even in politics. [DJH/ARe]

ROB HOLDSTOCK is remembered in the revamped British Fantasy Awards rules. Best Novel has been split in two: the August Derleth Award for horror and the Robert Holdstock Award for fantasy. [RK]


### CONFIND ###

Until 7 May [] SCI-FI LONDON film festival at Apollo Piccadilly Circus, BFI Southbank, other London venues. See www.sci-fi-london.com.

4-6 May [] STAR WARS: MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU, Fullcircle Gallery, Leeds. Pounds3; Pounds2 concessions; films Pounds5/Pounds4. See tinyurl.com/6qspang.

12-13 May [] BRISTOL COMIC EXPO -- see www.bristolexpo.co.uk.

12-13 May [] THE GREATEST SHOW IN THE GALAXY (media), Peterborough Arena. From Pounds11/day to silly prices. See tinyurl.com/8ykqvzz.

CANCELLED: 18-20 May [] DISCOVER FESTIVAL, Snibston Discovery Museum, Coalville, Leicestershire. See www.discoverfestival.co.uk.

18-20 May [] WALTZ ON THE WYE (steampunk), Chepstow. Pounds40 including ball, Pounds25 without, Pounds10 day. 3% booking fee at wyewaltz.org.

19-20 May [] KAPOW! (comics), Business Design Centre, Islington, London. Tickets Pounds35 ('VIP' Pounds175) or Pounds20/day, in advance only from www.kapowcomiccon.com with a Pounds1.50 booking fee.

19-20 May [] MIDDLE-EARTH WEEKEND, Sarehole Mill, Cole Bank Rd, Hall Green, Birmingham. Free. See middleearthweekend.org.uk.

23 May [] BSFA OPEN MEETING, Melton Mowbray (new venue), 18 Holborn, London, EC1N 2LE. 6pm for 7pm. With C.J. Lines.

27-30 Sep [] FANTASYCON 2012, Brighton. Pounds55 reg (BFS members Pounds50) _until 31 May_. Payment via PayPal at fantasycon2012.org, or to 10 Haycroft Gardens, Mastin Moor, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, S43 3FE.

13-14 Oct [] OCTOCON, Camden Court Hotel, Camden St, Dublin. GoH Liz Williams. Euro20 reg; students/under-18s/unwaged Euro20; supp Euro10; accompanied under-12s free. Contact: Apt 9, Parliament Bldg, 38-40 Parliament St, Dublin 22, Ireland; info at octocon dot com.

20 Oct [] BRISTOLCON, Ramada Hotel, Bristol. Pounds15, _rising to Pounds20 on 1 June_. Cheques to 18 High Leaze Road, Patchway, Bristol, BS34 5AF.

29 Mar - 1 Apr 2013 [] EIGHTSQUAREDCON (Eastercon), Cedar Court Hotel, Bradford. GoH Walter Jon Williams, Fred Warrington, Anne Sudworth, Edward James. Pounds50 reg; Pounds25 supp/junior (12-17); Pounds10 child (5-11); Pounds1 infant. Contact 19 Uphall Road, Cambridge, CB1 3HX.

18-21 Apr 2014 [] SATELLITE 4 (Eastercon), Crowne Plaza Hotel, Glasgow. GoH John Meaney, Juliet E. McKenna, Jim Burns, Alice & Steve Lawson, Terry Pratchett. Pounds45 reg and Pounds40 unwaged, _rising to Pounds55 and Pounds45 on 1 June_; Pounds20 supp/junior (12-17); Pounds5 child (5-11); Pounds1 infant. Contact c/o Flat 2/1, 691 Shields Rd, Pollokshields, Glasgow, G41 4QL.

RUMBLINGS [] _Eurocon 2014._ Dublin won the bidding against Romania by a large margin: 22-24 August 2014 is Shamrokon, Burlington Hotel, Dublin. GoH (so far) Seanan McGuire, Jim Fitzpatrick. Euro25 reg, held to September 2012. Details to follow at www.shamrokon.ie.


### INFINITELY IMPROBABLE ###

AS OTHERS SEE CHINA. In a bookshop. _Customer_ (pointing at _Perdido Street Station_ by China Mieville): 'Excuse me, how do you pronounce this writer's name?' _Bookseller:_ 'Well, I've heard people say Mee-ville, but I think because of the accent, it's Me-eh-ville.' _Customer:_ 'No, I mean his first name.' _Bookseller:_ 'Well, it's China -- like the country.' _Customer:_ 'The country?' (Jen Campbell, _Financial Times_, 7 April) [RD]

MORE AWARDS. _Philip K. Dick:_ Simon Morden, the Samuil Petrovitch trilogy (_Equations of Life_ etc). [GVG]
     _European SF Awards_ include ... Website: Concatenation.org. Magazine: _Galaxies_. Promoter: _The Encyclopedia of SF, Third Edition_. Author: Ian McDonald. Grand Master: Brian Aldiss. [CM]
     _Pilgrim Award_ for sf studies: Pamela Sargent.
     _SF Hall of Fame:_ Joe Haldeman, James Tiptree Jr., James Cameron and Virgil Finlay.
     _Prometheus_ (libertarian) finalists: Vernor Vinge, _The Children of the Sky_; Delia Sherman, _The Freedom Maze_; Thomas L. James and Carl C. Carlsson, _In the Shadow of Ares_; Ernest Cline, _Ready Player One_; Ken MacLeod, _The Restoration Game_; Terry Pratchett, _Snuff_.
     _FAAn Awards_ (fan activity). Website: efanzines.com. Letterhack: Robert Lichtman. Per[sonal]zine: _A Meara for Observers_. Single Issue or Anthology: _Alternative Pants_. Artist: Steve Stiles. Writer: Mark Plummer. Genzine or Collaboration: _Banana Wings_. #1 Fan Face: Mark Plummer.
     _Shirley Jackson Awards_ (suspense/horror) novel shortlist: Michael Cisco, _The Great Lover_; Glen Duncan, _The Last Werewolf_; Sheri Holman, _Witch on the Road Tonight_; S.P. Miskowski, _Knock Knock_; Reggie Oliver, _The Dracula Papers_; Donald Ray Pollock, _The Devil All the Time_. 

PUBLISHERS & SINNERS. Tom Doherty Associates announced on 24 April that by early July, ebooks from all its imprints (Tor, Forge, Orb etc) would be free of DRM protection. Tor UK followed suit next day. This, Baen Books smirked, has been Baen policy for over ten years.

AS OTHERS SEE US. The real problem with _John Carter_: 'I wouldn't trust the sanity of any critic who claimed to understand what goes on in this movie. I should add, though, that I haven't any idea of how Burroughs's gibberish should have been adapted. The Therns, the Tharks, Dejah Thoris? You can't speak the names aloud without sounding like Daffy Duck.' (David Denby, _New Yorker_, 26 March) [MMW]

R.I.P. _Ray E. Beam_ (1932-2012), long-time US fan and member of First Fandom who received the 1993 First Fandom Hall of Fame Award, died on 8 April aged 79. [SFS/SHS]
     _Ernest Callenbach_ (1929-2012), author of the high-selling sf _Ecotopia_ (1975) and related fiction and nonfiction urging sustainable development, died on 16 April; he was 83. [JC]
     _Jonathan Frid_ (1924-2012), Canadian actor who played the vampire Barnabas Collins in the tv series _Dark Shadows_ (1966-1971), died on 14 April; he was 87. [DL]
     _Richard Harter_ (1935-2012), US fan, stalwart of the New England SF Association and publisher of the fanzine _Personal Notes_, died on 20 April. [CH]
     _Nick Webb_ (1949-2012), UK editor and publisher who among many other achievements commissioned Douglas Adams's first _Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_ novelization and (a quarter of a century later) wrote the official Adams biography _Wish You Were Here_, died on 10 April. He will be much missed. [CW]
     _K.D. (Kathy Diane) Wentworth_ (1951-2012), US author whose first of several solo sf novels was _Moon Speaker_ (1994), died on 18 April aged 61. [SFS/SHS] She also collaborated twice with Eric Flint.

AS OTHERS RESEARCH US. 'Disney has admitted that John Carter, based on the books of Conan the Barbarian author Edgar Rice Burroughs, will end up as a $200m (Pounds126m) hole in its pocket.' (Kev Geoghegan, bbc.co.uk, 3 April; since amended to 'Tarzan author') [PB]

COURT CIRCULAR. The Philip K. Dick estate's suit against Media Rights Capital regarding _Adjustment Bureau_ fees (based on a dodgy-looking copyright claim; see _A292_) was dropped when a federal court judge 'dismissed key claims' but re-filed in state court, while MRC has a federal-court countersuit asking for a ruling that Dick's original story is indeed in the public domain. (_Hollywood Reporter_, 24 April) [SHS]

OUTRAGED LETTERS. _Richard E. Geis_ has left the building: 'I've had cataract surgery on both eyes and new glasses but my ability to read is still marginal. So please stop sending _Ansible_. Thanks and all best ...'
     _Sam J Lundwall:_ 'As of next month, my wife Ingrid Olofsdotter and I will be living in a home for the elderly founded 150 years ago. No forwarding address, but our daughter Karin Lundwall will be taking over our house with her husband, so messages can reach me through them (and I will hold on to my e-mail address). [...] I will continue doing esseff, not in writing, but in music. I have a solid background in music and am happily returning to it as a composer. My eyes are failing, but music can still be handled.' (17 April) A week later someone reported Sam's death to the _SF Encyclopedia_, but he feels this rumour is exaggerated: 'I am pleased to report I am not yet dead, and I'm slowly getting back to being as mean as ever. Someone jumped the gun, or maybe a typical stupid fannish hoax. I remember many years ago rumours had it Brian Aldiss had died of a heart attack in the tender arms of some willing femmefan. This seemed rather plausible so no one dared call him and ask; I finally did it and he was doing fine ...'

FOOD SCIENCE MASTERCLASS. 'I always use aluminum-free baking powder because I don't like the idea of eating metal.' (Kay Stepkin, _Chicago Tribune_, 21 March) [PL] Don't tell her about the sodium.

THE DEAD PAST. _70 Years Ago_, UK fans learned of 'Ron Bradbury's interesting hobby of making fantaster _[sic]_ models and drawings and then photographing them. [...] He enclosed a photo of a drawing of an "Atomic Power Plant" (sic) in a letter to U.S.A. only to have it returned by censor with a sternly worded admonition that photos of buildings, _plants_, and machinery were not allowed to be sent out of the country. Tell it to Campbell, somebody.' (_Futurian War Digest_ 20, May 1942)

IN TYPO VERITAS. On Ursula Le Guin: 'It is known as the Earthsea Trilogy, and concerns the rise of God, a magician, from obscurity to great knowledge and fame.' (Baird Searles, Martin Last, Beth Meacham & Michael Franklin, _A Reader's Guide to Science Fiction_, 1979) [PL]

MAGAZINE SCENE. _New Worlds_ email: submissions at newworlds dot co dot uk. (_Not_ the former hodson798 address; David Hodson has left the _NW_ collective.) Dick Jude reassures me that the launch issue is still imminent. Since November 2011 the website has timelessly announced: 'The first issue of New Worlds will be available later this month.'

AS OTHERS RECALL US. _Customer:_ 'Do you have a copy of Nineteen Eighty-Six?' _Bookseller:_ 'Nineteen Eighty-Six?' _Customer:_ 'Yeah, Orwell.' _Bookseller:_ 'Oh -- _Nineteen Eighty-Four_.' _Customer:_ 'No, I'm sure it's Nineteen Eighty-Six; I've always remembered it because it's the year I was born.' (Jen Campbell, _Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops_, 2012)

MEDIA AWARDS. _The Register_'s unofficial straw poll for Worst Movie Ever heaped its ultimate dishonour on _Battlefield Earth_ (1454 votes), followed by _The Phantom Menace_ (1022) and _Twilight_ (998). [DKMK]

SUPER-IRONY. The original cheque for $130, with which Detective Comics (later DC) bought all rights to Superman from his creators Siegel and Shuster, sold at auction for $160,000. (BBC, 17 April) [MPJ]

C.O.A. _Sam J Lundwall:_ see Letters above. _Craig Smith_, 1033 Sunset Blvd NE, Apt. 19, Renton, WA 98056-2994, USA.

THOG'S MASTERCLASS. _Music of the Spheres Dept._ 'Felix had said that a sonata could be written on the room's tempo, whose finale should be a demonstration of relativity.' (Mary Butts, _Death of Felicity Taverner_, 1932) [JA]
     _Eyeballs in the Sky._ 'The man's eyes worked their way around the main room all the way up the carved beams that reached high over-head.' (Anton Strout, 'Hooked', in _The Modern Fae's Guide to Surviving Humanity_ ed. Patricia Bray & Joshua Palmatier, 2012) [KM]
     _Manipulatory Dept._ 'He tore his hands off her hips and shoved them between their bodies, forcing her up by her shoulders.' (_Ibid_.)
     _Dept of Runaway Metaphor._ 'England was such a little place. It would take so short a time to fan the poison out all over her lovely petite body.' (Margery Allingham, _Traitor's Purse_, 1941) [PN]

### GEEKS' CORNER ###

SUBSCRIPTIONS. New procedure from October 2010: to receive _Ansible_ monthly via email, send a message to:
 ansible-news+subscribe [at] googlegroups.com
You will be asked to confirm that you want to join the group. To resign, send email to:
 ansible-news+unsubscribe [at] googlegroups.com
More details here:
Links and archive -- http://links.ansible.co.uk/

CONVENTION AND EVENT LINKS
[] British Isles (plus Eurocon, Worldcon) -- http://links.ansible.co.uk
[] London meetings/events -- http://news.ansible.co.uk/london.html


### ENDNOTES ###

APPARITIONS.
[] 11 May 2012: Stephen Hunt talks to the Brum Group; Briar Rose Hotel, Bennett's Hill, Birmingham city centre, 7:30pm for 8pm; Pounds4 or Pounds3 for members. Contact bhamsfgroup at yahoo co uk or rog.peyton at btinternet com. Further meetings: 8 June Graham Joyce; 13 July tba; 10 August Summer Social meal at the Black Eagle pub.

FANFUNDERY. Southbound DUFF race nominations (North America to Australasia) open today, 1 May 2012, with what may be the most insanely tight schedule in the history of fan funds. Nominations close on 11 May, voting will 'probably' close on 31 May and the destination convention is Continuum in Melbourne, 8-11 June. Full release at _File 770_:

EDITORIAL. Special thanks to Hazel for doing all the _Ansible_ fetching and carrying while I'm laid up with an afflicted foot -- on the mend, I think, but still many sizes too large for any of my shoes. Thus I will not be at the Clarke Award thrash on 2 May, but plan to stick the result on the _Ansible_ website when received.
     Did you know that some copies of _Ansible_ still travel by post? (Pause for online shock, horror, outrage and dismay.) Not a huge number, but I gloomily calculated the effect of the 30 April Royal Mail price increases and found that my monthly _Ansible_ snailmail costs just rose by 25.2%. Most copies go out at the lowest second-class rate within the UK, where the price hike is very nearly 39%. There are no more airmail discounts for books and printed papers. Is this the War Against (Old-Style) Fanzines?

OUTRAGED LETTERS II. Bob Ham's 'dismayed' objection (see _A297_) to the listing of the QED science/sceptic conference in _A296_ provoked several comments.
     _Steven Gould:_ 'This is right up there with saying "If you like SF you will dislike Science." QED (which stands for "Question, Explore, Discover" might as well be called "To Bravely Go Where etc." While there may be people in the skeptic movement who are anti-SF, my experience with them is that they are usually enthusiastic fans of genre fiction of all kinds with a clear understanding of the difference between "Fiction" and "Fact." The massive convention Dragon*Con, in Atlanta, always has a track of skeptical programming. The popular skeptical podcast "Skeptic's Guide to the Universe" (with an audience in the hundred thousands) recently spent several minutes worrying whether George R.R. Martin will tie things up successfully by Book 7 of _Game of Thrones_.'
     _Robert Newman:_ '"Do readers agree _[with Bob Ham]_?" On behalf of all your readers, the answer is: "No!" I agree that a meeting of those who would scoff at Arthur C. Clarke's _Childhood's End_ may well have no place in a list of SF conferences. Hardly applicable to the "science/sceptic/neo-atheist bunch" who include amongst their past greats the likes of Isaac Asimov and, er, a certain Mr Clarke. Real science has been inspired by SF as diverse as ACC's novels and Gene Roddenberry's popular TV series. Bob Ham (who he?) may "see the sceptic/neo-atheist bunch as being quite opposed to genre work" but that would just be yet another thing that "spiritual persons" are wrong about. Being a fan of SF is endemic in skeptic circles, from Skeptics in the Pub being founded by SF fans and originally meeting in the same pub as the London Circle, through Carl Sagan, to Richard Dawkins being a fan of _Hitchhiker's Guide_ and _Dr Who_. I've discussed SF more often at skeptic meetings than at SF meetings in the last ten years. Only today on the UKSkeptics forum a thread that started off querying the behaviour of a chaffinch turned into a discussion on China Mieville (admittedly my fault but two other people participated).'
     Further replies, none agreeing with Bob Ham's position, came from F.J. Bergmann, Karl Bunker, Chip Hitchcock, Alex E. Knight, Nick Melchior, Helge Moulding and Trevor Prinn.
     Meanwhile _Bob Ham_ expanded on his first message: 'The issue I have with the sceptical movement is that their interest in science escalates to scientism. This is a whole different beast to just science and it's this beast that I think is in conflict with speculative fiction (almost by definition). / The newly emerging neo-atheist/militant-atheist worshippers of Richard Dawkins are not a group that I know to explicitly mock Arthur C. Clarke. However, they invariably have a dismissive attitude toward ideas of higher states of consciousness, higher planes of existence, and humanity's experience of them. To me these ideas are exemplified in SF through _Childhood's End_. It's this attitude, often explicitly and offensively stated, that seems to be in such contrast with the open-minded speculation of SF.'

PAYPAL TIP JAR THINGY. Support _Ansible_, cover website costs and keep the editor happy! Or just buy his books.

THOG'S SECOND HELPING. _True Romance Interruptus Dept._ 'The light from this glorious girl's face would dispel the shadow of any plane alive. She pressed herself to him with animal passion, untutored and wild. Her breath came in gasps and her body pulsed beneath his hands. The firm back muscles at her waist came alive. She threw herself on her back and her burnished face arose from the dark pool of her shimmering hair like the face of a swimmer in a dark lake. A pulse throbbed in the golden arc of her throat. Her breasts brushed the velvet sheen of her housecoat. Mitch's lips found her throat, smooth as the cheek of a child, and when he kissed it he heard her stifle a tiny sob of passion. Then as soon as it had come it was gone. He knew with a grinding certainty that there would be nothing between them.' (Hank Searls, _The Big X_, 1959. Back-cover blurb: 'I enjoyed THE BIG X very much ... remarkable ARTHUR C CLARKE') [ARo]


Ansible 298 Copyright (c) David Langford, 2012. Thanks to James Agate, Daniel Barlow, Paul Barnett, John Clute, Robert Day, David J. Haddock, Chip Hitchcock, Martyn P. Jackson, Roy Kettle, David K.M. Klaus, Hazel Langford as always, Denny Lien, Pamela Love, Kari Maund, Cheryl Morgan, Peter Nicholls, Alistair Rennie, Adam Roberts, SF Site, Steven H Silver, Gordon Van Gelder, Cat Webb, Martin Morse Wooster, and our Hero Distributors: Dave Corby (BSFG), SCIS/Prophecy, Alan Stewart (Australia).

1 May 2012

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