Ansible 394 -- May 2020

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May 1, 2020, 12:43:57 PM5/1/20
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ANSIBLE(R) 394
MAY 2020 

From DAVID LANGFORD, 94 London Road, Reading, Berks, RG1 5AU, UK. Website news.ansible.uk. ISSN 0265-9816 (print); 1740-942X (e). Available for SAE or boarding pass for the last flight of Dr. Ain.

[NET NOTE. See https://news.ansible.uk/a394.html for the nice HTML version; https://news.ansible.uk/pdf/a394.pdf for a printable PDF. Mailing list subscribe/unsubscribe information appears below -- please don't send such requests to my own e-mail address. DRL]

VIRTUAL REALITY. This year's Eastercon bidding session took place online: the unopposed bid for Easter 2021 was Confusion (see below), with the same venue as the cancelled 2020 event. A 2022 bid is in preparation.
     _BSFA Awards_ are to be announced online on 17 May -- expect an access link at bsfa.co.uk shortly beforehand.


### THE BLISS OF SOLITUDE ###

THE BONZO DOG DOO-DAH BAND has at last reported a High Court success in defeating the writs issued against them by Anglo Atlantic Media Ltd and Robert Kirk Carruthers for using their own band name -- whose registration as a trademark by AAM/RKC had been rejected as unlawful by the Intellectual Property Office last October. Describing Carruthers's claims as 'totally without merit', and his further intimidating writs against band witnesses as 'an abuse of process', the judge awarded the Bonzos indemnity costs of more than GBP50,000. (9 April)

EZRI CARLEBACH, looking forward to beginning an MA in SF and Fantasy at Anglia Ruskin University on 4 May, was told on 29 April that this course was cancelled and will not be offered again in the future.

J.K. ROWLING's Salazar Slytherin inspired the name of a 'new' Indian species of green pit viper: _Trimeresurus salazar_. (CNN, 22 April) [EF]


### CONSTRICTION ###

ONLINE. 7 May [] VIRTUAL FIRST THURSDAY, 6-10pm, replacing the London pub meeting at the Bishop's Finger. See tinyurl.com/uow6hqn.

POSTPONED TO SEPTEMBER. 16-17 May [] HORRORCON UK. See below.

CANCELLED. 21 May [] BALLARD'S LONDONS (Roger Luckhurst talk), London. Described at acuriousinvitation.com/jgballard.html.

22 May - 3 Jan [] FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE WONDER OF NATURE (exhibition), Natural History Museum, London. GBP18. See www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/exhibitions/fantastic-beasts-the-wonder-of-nature.html. _Note that the museum is now closed, with hopes of reopening in 'early summer'._

POSTPONED TO AUTUMN. 6 Jun [] CARLISLE COMIC CON, Carlisle. See www.wonkyrocketevents.co.uk/carlisle/.

POSTPONED TO NOVEMBER. 11-12 Jul [] EDGE-LIT 9, Derby -- see below.

18 Jul [] SMALL PRESS DAY events throughout UK and Ireland. Likely to be postponed or held online only: see smallpressday.co.uk.

ONLINE ONLY. 29 Jul - 2 Aug [] CONZEALAND (Worldcon 78), New Zealand. _New membership rates_ announced 15 April (refunds available from 1 May for those who paid more): $300NZ reg, $150 unwaged (NZ only), $150 YA (born after 2000), $75 child (born 2005-2010), 'kid in tow' (born after 2010) free, $75 supporting. See conzealand.nz.

POSTPONED TO 2021. 21-23 Aug [] REUNICON, The Hague. See below.

14-19 Sep [] ARVON SCI-FI AND FANTASY COURSE, Lumb Bank, West Yorkshire. GBP815 including single-room accommodation. See www.arvon.org/writing-courses/courses-retreats/sci-fi-and-fantasy/.

26-27 Sep [] HORRORCON UK, Magna Science Adventure Centre, Sheffield Rd, Rotherham, S60 1DX. _New dates._ Tickets GBP45 for 11am entry, GBP55 for 10am; accompanied under-17s GBP20. See horrorconuk.com.

9-11 Oct [] LAKES INTERNATIONAL COMIC ART FESTIVAL, Kendal, Cumbria. _Weekend passes now GBP35; students and under-16s GBP25._ For day rates, see www.comicartfestival.com.

17 Oct [] BEDFORD WHO CHARITY CON (_Doctor Who_), The King's House, Ampthill Road, Bedford, MK42 9AZ -- _new date and venue_. 10am-5:30pm. GBP42.50 reg; under-19s/students GBP22.50; under-14s GBP15. More at bedfordwhocharitycon.co.uk.

22-25 Oct [] CELLULOID SCREAMS (horror film festival), Showroom Cinema, Sheffield. GBP90; GBP85 concessions. See celluloidscreams.co.uk.

31 Oct [] BRISTOLCON, Hilton DoubleTree Hotel, Bristol.GBP25 reg; GBP15 concessions and under-18s, _rising to GBP30/GBP20 in June_; GBP35/GBP25 at the door; under-14s free. Online registration at www.bristolcon.org.

6-8 Nov [] DEAD BY DAWN (horror film festival), Filmhouse Cinema One, 88 Lothian Rd, Edinburgh, EH3 9BZ. _New dates._ Box office 0131 228 2688. Tickets GBP80 from www.deadbydawn.co.uk.

7-8 Nov [] EDGE-LIT 9, QUAD Centre, Derby, DE1 3AS. GBP50 reg. For guests etc see www.derbyquad.co.uk/whats-on/events/edge-lit-9.

2-5 Apr 2021 [] CONFUSION (Eastercon), Birmingham NEC Hilton. GoH Dan Abnett, Dave Lally, Nik Vincent. See confusion2021.uk.

20-22 Aug 2021 [] REUNICON (celebrating ConFiction 1990), The Hague. _New dates._ Euro50 reg, Euro25 supp. See confiction1990.com.

8-11 Oct 2021 [] IRISH DISCWORLD CONVENTION, Cork International Hotel, Cork. Registration details awaited at idwcon.org.


### INFINITELY IMPROBABLE ###

AS OTHERS SEE US. Joseph E. Stiglitz, Nobel-winning economist, is another sufferer from skiffyphobia: 'I never go near science fiction. Not sure why. I just don't. Perhaps it's because I think it's hard enough to understand our own world and try to fix it. It's escapism to try to create another one.' (Interview, _The New York Times_, 9 April) [JB]

AWARDS. _Bram Stoker_ (horror) novel categories: NOVEL _Coyote Rage_ by Owl Goingback. DEBUT _The Bone Weaver's Orchard_ by Sarah Read. YA _Oware Mosaic_ by Nzondi. GRAPHIC _Neil Gaiman's Snow, Glass, Apples_.
     _Compton Crook_ (sf/f/h debut): _A Memory Called Empire_ by Arkady Martine.
     _Philip K. Dick_ (paperback original): _Sooner or Later Everything Falls Into the Sea: Stories_ by Sarah Pinsker.
     _Otherwise_ (formerly the Tiptree): _Freshwater_ by Akwaeke Emezi.
     _Prometheus_ (libertarian) shortlist: _The Testaments_ by Margaret Atwood; _Alliance Rising_ by C.J. Cherryh and Jane S. Fancher; _Ruin's Wake_ by Patrick Edwards; _Luna: Moon Rising_ by Ian McDonald; _Ode to Defiance_ by Marc Stiegler.
     _Spectrum Grand Master_ (fantastic art): Terryl Whitlatch.

AS OTHERS SEE _SOLARIS_: 'Though it's a sci-fi movie, it's about these very simple human emotions between Chris (George Clooney) and his wife Rheya (Natascha McElhone).' (theatlantic.com, 8 April) [CW]

R.I.P. Asterisks mark reported COVID-19 deaths.
     _Bruce Allpress_ (1930-2020), New Zealand actor in _Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers_, (2002) and _Power Rangers Jungle Fury_ (2008),died on 23 April aged 89. PDF
     _Reed Andrus_, US fan and reviewer whose fanzines included _Laughing Osiris_ and _The Bull of the Seven Battles_, died in April. [PDF]
     _Sean Arnold_ (1941-2020), UK actor in _Earthsearch_, _The Lord of the Rings_ (both BBC radio 1981), _Haunters of the Deep_ (1984) and _Speaking of the Devil_ (1991), died in April aged 79. [AW]
     _Pip Baker_ (1928-2020), UK scriptwriter whose credits with his wife Jane Baker include _Night of the Big Heat_ (1967), _Captain Nemo and the Underwater City_ (1969), 11 episodes of _Doctor Who_ (1985-1987) and _Watt on Earth_ (1991-1992), died on 14 April. [DWN]
     *_Jay Benedict_ (1951-2020), US character actor in _Aliens_ (1986), _Mansquito_ (2005), _The Dark Knight Rises_ (2012) and others, died on 4 April aged 68. [MMW]
     *_Julie Bennett_ (1932-2020), US actress best known for voice work including _Yogi Bear_ (as Cindy Bear in various series/films 1961-1988) and Spider-Man (as Aunt May, 1997), died on 31 March aged 88. [AIP]
     _Merv Binns_ (1932-2020), noted Australian fan who co-founded the Melbourne SF Club, ran the country's first specialist bookshop Space Age Books and published various fanzines including the Ditmar-winning _Australian SF News_ (1978-1994), died on 7 April aged 85. His career achievement honours include the Chandler (1993), Big Heart (2010) and Infinity (2012) awards. [BG]
     _Honor Blackman_ (1925-2020), UK actress in _The Avengers_ (1962-1964), _Goldfinger_ (1964), _To the Devil a Daughter_ (1976), _Doctor Who_ (1986) and many more -- a late genre credit being _Cockneys vs Zombies_ (2012) -- died on 5 April aged 94.
     *_Tim Brooke-Taylor_ (1940-2020), UK comic actor in _I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again_ (BBC radio 1964-1973, with several sf spoofs), _The Goodies_ (1970-1982), _Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory_ (1971), _The Comet Is Coming!_ (1981), _Bananaman_ (1983-1986) and others, died on 12 April aged 79. [CM/AW]
     *_John Horton Conway_ (1937-2020), noted UK mathematician whose incidental work in recreational maths (such as the Game of Life) inspired many Martin Gardner columns for _Scientific American_ which in turn influenced sf authors, died on 11 April aged 82. [JS]
     _Dale Crain_, US comics artist (_Thor_, _Batman_) and archival editor at DC Comics, died recently in Vietnam. [PDF]
     _Allen Daviau_ (1942-2020), US cinematographer who worked on _E.T._ (1982), Van Helsing (2004) and others, died on 15 April aged 77. [CH]
     _Gene Deitch_ (1924-2020), award-winning US animator/director whose credits include _Popeye_ (1960-1962), _Krazy Kat_ (1963) and a short adaptation of _The Hobbit_ (1966), died on 16 April aged 95. [PDF]
     _Brian Dennehy_ (1938--2020), US actor in _Cocoon_ (1985) and sequel, _Ratatouille_ (voice, 2007) and others, died on 15 April aged 81. [AW]
     _Malcolm Dixon_ (1953-2020), UK actor in _Flash Gordon_ (1980), _Time Bandits_ (1981), _Return of the Jedi_ (1983), _Labyrinth_ (1986) and others, died on 9 April aged 66. [PDF]
     _Shirley Douglas_ (1934-2020), Canadian actress with voice credits in _Flash Gordon_ (1996-1997), _Silver Surfer_ (1998) and _Franklin_ (1998-2000), died on 5 April aged 86. [PDF]
     _Mort Drucker_ (1929-2020), US artist and caricaturist who drew many SF film/tv satires for _Mad_ magazine, died on 9 April aged 91. [BT]
     _James Drury_ (1934-2020), US _Virginian_ actor seen in _Forbidden Planet_ (1956), died on 6 April aged 85. [F770]
     _Hilary Dwyer_ (1945-2020), UK actress in _The Body Stealers_ (1969), _The Oblong Box_ (1969) and _Cry of the Banshee_ (1970), died on 30 March aged 74. Producer credits as Hilary Heath include _The Worst Witch_ (1986). [SG]
     _Sergio Fantoni_ (1930-2020), Italian actor in _Hercules Unchained_ (1959), _Atom Age Vampire_ (1960), _Mission: Eureka_ (1989) and others, died on 17 April aged 89. [SJ]
     _Andrew J. Fenady_ (1928-2020), US producer whose films include _Black Noon_ (1971) and _Terror in the Wax Museum_ (1973), died on 16 April aged 91. [LP]
     _Henry Keith Ferrell_ (1953-2020), US author and editor, biographer of Wells and Orwell, who was editor-in-chief of _Omni_ from 1991 to 1995, died on 11 April aged 66. [SM-B]
     *_Al Fitzpatrick_, UK fan and con-goer who moved to Australia and then the USA -- active in both countries' fandoms -- died on 6 April. [JS]
     _Hy Fleishman_ (1927-2020), US artist for many Silver Age comics publishers in various genres including sf and horror, died on 2 April aged 92. [PDF]
     *_Allen Garfield_ (1939-2020), US actor in _Miracle Beach_ (1992), _Cyborg 2: Glass Shadow_ (1993), _The Ninth Gate_ (1999) and _The Elf Who Didn't Believe_ (2000), died on 7 April aged 80. [LP]
     _Jill Gascoine_ (1937-2020), UK actress in _Peter Pan_ (TVM 1976), died on 28 April aged 83. [AW]
     *_Juan Gimenez_ (1943-2020), Argentine comics artist who worked on _Metal Hurlant_, the film _Heavy Metal_ (1981) and his own 'Time Paradox' sequence of sf shorts, died on 2 April aged 77. [TC]
     _Margot Hartman_ (1933-2020) , US actress in _The Curse of the Living Corpse_ (1964) and _Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women_ (1968), died on 11 April aged 86. [PDF]
     _Aaron Hernan_ (1931-2020), Mexican actor in _Deathstalker and the Warriors from Hell_ (1988), died on 26 April aged 88. [LP]
     _Peter H. Hunt_ (1938-2020), US director whose credits include _The Mysterious Stranger_ (1982) and _Touched by an Angel_ (1996-2003), died on 26 April aged 81. [PDF]
     _Irrfan Khan_ (1967-2020), Indian actor in _The Amazing Spider-Man_ (2012) and _Jurassic World_ (2015), died on 29 April aged 53. [AW]
     _Shirley Knight_ (1936-2020), US actress in _The Sender_ (1982), _Dad, the Angel & Me_ (1995), _The Uninvited_ (1996), _Ghost Cat_ (2004) and others, died on 22 April aged 83. [SJ]
     _Dieter Laser_ (1942-2020), German actor in _Lexx_ (1998-2000), _The Human Centipede_ (2009) and others, died on 29 February aged 78. [AIP]
     _Jean Little_ (1932-2020), Canadian author of children's fiction including the fairytale mash-up _Once Upon a Golden Apple_ (1991), died on 6 April aged 88. [PDF]
     _Ryder W. Miller_ (1965-2020), US Inklings critic and compiler of _From Narnia to a Space Odyssey: The War of Letters Between Arthur C. Clarke and C.S. Lewis_ (2005), died on 15 March. [DAA]
     _Neale Mittenshaw-Hodge_ (1962-2020), UK fan and tireless worker on many conventions for many years, died on 17 April aged 58. [CO]
     *_Jerrold Mundis_ (1941-2020), US author who published stories in the 1960s _New Worlds_ and wrote suspense/horror novels as Julia Withers, died on 5 April aged 79. [PDF]
     _Bruce Myers_, UK actor in _No Blade of Grass_ (1970), _The Awakening_ (1980), _The Mahabharata_ (1989-1990) and _Let There Be Light_ (1998), died on 15 April. [PDF]
     _Nobuhiko Obayashi_ (1938-2020), Japanese director whose genre films include _House_ (1977), _The Little Girl Who Conquered Time_ (1983), _The Drifting Classroom_ (1987), _The Discarnates_ (1988) and _Labyrinth of Cinema_ (2019), died on 10 April aged 82. [AIP]
     _George Ogilvie_ (1931-2020), Australian co-director of _Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome_ (1985), died on 5 April aged 89. [GC]
     _Joseph S. Pulver_ (1955-2020), US author and anthologist best known for Lovecraftian horror and noir fiction, died on 24 April aged 64. [EM]
     _Rebecca Ramsey_ (1966-2020), US visual effects producer whose many genre credits include _The Matrix Revolutions_ (2003), _Hellboy_ (2004), _I, Robot_ (2004), _Spider-Man 3_ (2007) and _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2_ (2011), died on 7 March aged 53. [MMW]
     _D.J. Rowe_, co-founder of the Moorcock fan club Nomads of the Time Stream ('my first fan club' -- MM) and co-editor of its magazine _The Time Centre Times_, has died aged 83. [MM]
     *_Adam Schlesinger_ (1967-2020), US bass player with Fountains of Wayne whose credits include soundtrack work for _Ice Age: Continental Drift_ (2012) and _The Haunted Hathaways_ (2013-2015), died on 1 April aged 52. [LP]
     *_Ann Sullivan_ (1929-2020), US animator whose credits include _The Little Mermaid_ (1989), _Cool World_ (1992), _The Lion King_ (1994), _Atlantis: The Lost Empire_ (2001) and _Treasure Planet_ (2002), died on 13 April aged 91. [AIP]
     *_Alexander Thynn_ (1932-2020), 7th Marquess of Bath, whose genre novels were _The Carry-Cot_ (1972) and _The King is Dead_ (1976 from his own Longleat Press), died on 4 April aged 87.
     *_Brian Varley_, old-time UK fan since 1952 who worked on the 1954 Supermancon and 1965 London Worldcon, and wrote the 'Machiavarley' column for _Scottishe_, died on 31 March. [RH]
     _Tim White_ (1952-2020), UK sf artist who painted many book covers from 1974 onwards -- his first collection being _The Science Fiction and Fantasy World of Tim White_ (1981) -- died on 5 April aged 68. [BE] He won the 1983 BSFA Award as best artist.
     _Logan Williams_ (2003-2020), Canadian-born actor in _The Flash_ (2014-2015), died on 9 April aged 16. [MMW]
     _Hal Willner_ (1957-2020), US music producer whose credits include _The Duxorcist_ (1987), other Daffy Duck cartoon features and _Bewitched_ (2005), died on 6 April aged 63. [LP]

THE WEAKEST LINK. _Mike Moorcock_ writes: 'Final _Jeopardy_ question, category British Authors: "Born in 1866, he has been called The Shakespeare of Science Fiction." Contestant #1: "Asimov." #2: "Clarke." #3: "Verne." Ho hum.' (12 April)

HUGO SHORTLIST. Selections from the full list (with Retro Hugos) at conzealand.nz/blog/2020/04/08/hugo-and-retro-hugo-finalists-announced: NOVEL _The City in the Middle of the Night_ by Charlie Jane Anders; _Gideon the Ninth_ by Tamsyn Muir; _The Light Brigade_ by Kameron Hurley; _A Memory Called Empire_ by Arkady Martine; _Middlegame_ by Seanan McGuire; _The Ten Thousand Doors of January_ by Alix E. Harrow.
     SERIES The Expanse by James S.A. Corey; InCryptid by Seanan McGuire; Luna by Ian McDonald; Planetfall by Emma Newman; Winternight by Katherine Arden; Wormwood by Tade Thompson.
     RELATED WORK _Becoming Superman: My Journey from Poverty to Hollywood_ by J. Michael Straczynski; _Joanna Russ_ by Gwyneth Jones; _The Lady from the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick_ by Mallory O'Meara; _The Pleasant Profession of Robert A. Heinlein_ by Farah Mendlesohn; 2019 John W. Campbell Award Acceptance Speech by Jeannette Ng; _Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin_ produced and directed by Arwen Curry.
     GRAPHIC/COMIC _Die, Volume 1: Fantasy Heartbreaker_; _LaGuardia_; _Monstress, Volume 4: The Chosen_; _Mooncakes_; _Paper Girls, Volume 6_; _The Wicked + The Divine, Volume 9: Okay_.
[] DRAMATIC -- LONG FORM _Avengers: Endgame_; _Captain Marvel_; _Good Omens_; _Russian Doll_ (Season One); _Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker_; _Us_.
     LODESTAR (YA; not a Hugo) _Catfishing on CatNet_ by Naomi Kritzer; _Deeplight_ by Frances Hardinge; _Dragon Pearl_ by Yoon Ha Lee; _Minor Mage_ by T. Kingfisher; _Riverland_ by Fran Wilde; _The Wicked King_ by Holly Black.

THE DEAD PAST. _50 Years Ago,_ a writers' organization wielded its awesome power: 'The SFWA has asked its members not to buy Jerome Agel's _The Making of 2001_, because of unsatisfactory arrangements with the contributors.' (_Winnie_ 46, May 1970)
     _20 Years Ago_ , Steve Sneyd sent a heartfelt status report from his Hilltop Press: 'Poetry continues to sell like condoms at a Vatican conclave.' (_Ansible_ 154, May 2000)

FANFUNDERY. _GUFF 2020:_ 102 valid ballots were received, and the winner is Alison Scott with a plurality of 50 in the first round and a majority of 52 in the second. 'As one candidate withdrew from the race because of the current global situation ballots cast for them were allocated to the second preference.'
     _DUFF 2020:_ voting details for Erin Underwood's win can be found at downunderfanfund.wordpress.com/2020/04/01/erin-underwood-wins-duff/.
     The GUFF and DUFF winners will both attend New Zealand's virtual Worldcon this year, with hopes (as with TAFF) of a physical trip at some later date.

THOG'S MASTERCLASS. _Secure Repository Dept._ 'She sat there completely at her ease, her big breasts ready for any secrets.' (Graham Greene, _Brighton Rock_, 1938) [MMW]
     _As Thingy as a Very Thingy Thing._ 'He twisted suddenly and finished erect, his velour-padded feet sticking to the velour-carpeted deck as a velvet letter sticks to a velvet bulletin board.' (Hank Searls, _The Pilgrim Project_, 1964) [NW]
     _Excitable Dept._ 'Her pulse slowed to a gallop.' (Jay Kristoff, _Nevernight 3: Darkdawn_, 2019) [AR]
     _Neat Tricks._ 'Mia woke to the ring of heavy footfalls, hackles rising down her back.' (_Ibid_) [AR]
     _Understated Dept._ 'Her knee collided with his groin the way falling comets kiss the earth.' (_Ibid_) [AR]
     _Dept of Over-Egged Simile._ 'Her face resembled poorly-kneaded pastry, with currants for eyes, a baked fig for a nose, and a mouth like a line of silvered almonds.' (Stephen R. Donaldson, _The War Within_, 2019) [AR]


### GEEKS' CORNER ###

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CONVENTION AND EVENT LINKS
     British Isles -- https://news.ansible.uk
     Overseas -- https://news.ansible.uk/conlisti.html [no longer updated]


### ENDNOTES ###

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

EDITORIAL. My thanks to everyone who bought the new Algis Budrys essay collection _Beyond the Outposts_, published in April and described at ae.ansible.uk/?t=budrys4. For some while this was the only Ansible Editions POD title to survive Lulu.com's disastrously incompetent website redesign on 25 April, which not only 'invisibled' the backlists of countless small publishers using that platform but also left most of us unable for several days to log in and check the damage. 'Just keep calm and wait for the data to migrate,' said Lulu spokesmen, but some of it has apparently gone forever. (See my 30 April 2020 post at ansible.uk.)
     As a promotional complement to the big Budrys volume, AE has now released the free ebook _A Budrys Miscellany_, with over 100,000 words of material not included in _Beyond the Outposts_. Downloadable from the TAFF site at taff.org.uk/ebooks.php?x=BudrysMisc (as always, donations to TAFF are appreciated if you like it).
     Rob Hansen has added a newly unearthed wartime article by E.J. 'Ted' Carnell to his _Homefront: Fandom in the UK 1939-1945_, and the expanded edition -- now 163,000 words -- is still free at taff.org.uk/ebooks.php?x=HomeFront.

LOCKDOWN READING. Following last issue's note about the sudden popularity of _The Andromeda Strain_ and _Contagion_ in DVD, Marion Pitman reports from the book trade that 'Camus's _La Peste_ is selling like hot cakes.' Meanwhile the Project Gutenberg download figures (apparently a rolling average over 30 days) reached 49,000 for Daniel Defoe's _A Journal of the Plague Year_, at a time when the more famous _Robinson Crusoe_ registered only a little over 8,500. Nothing like a spot of comfort reading....

VIRTUAL FAN MEETINGS.
     7 May 2020, evening: Alison Scott set up this alternative to the physical London First Thursday meeting, which was reportedly a great success in April: 'Please share this with people who you know typically come to the Bishop's Finger, but aren't on Facebook.'
     17 May 2020 (and every other third Sunday of the month), afternoon/early evening: Sheffield SF and Fantasy Society online meeting using Zoom. For access details contact Fran Dowd, thesofa [at] gmail dot com.

R.I.P II: LATE REPORTS. _Paul Alkon_ (1935-2020), US academic and critic whose books include _Origins of Futuristic Fiction_ (1987), died on 13 January aged 84. [GW]
     _Gene Dynarski_ (1933-2020), US actor in _Close Encounters of the Third Kind_ (1977) and various sf tv series, died on 27 February aged 86. [AIP]
     _Laurie Yates-Kunkel_, US fan who co-founded the Fantastic Fiction Club at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and published fanzines including _Doodlebug_ (1992-1994 with her husband Bill Kunkel), died on 11 September 2019. [NR]

SPIELING CHEQUER DEPT. 'Wonton acts of destruction scattered marble and yellow brick in the street alike.' (Frog & Esther Jones, 'Balancing the Scales' in _Swords, Sorcery and Self-Rescuing Damsels_ ed. Lee French & Sarah Craft, 2019) 'Rota's golden paladin armour shown in the spell-light, and the demons swarmed her.' (Jeffrey Cook & Katherine Perkins. 'Remember to Thank Your Healer', _ibid_) [MC]

SOME LINKS from the _Ansible_ home page.
     Anti-plague superheroes
     Bram Stoker Awards winners (full list)
     John Horton Conway (1937-2020) remembered at SMBC and xkcd
     James D. Nicoll on the _SF Encyclopedia_
     Retro Hugo fanzines at Fanac.org

R.I.P. III: STOP PRESS. _Cis Corman_, US producer and casting director of _The Sentinel_ (1977) and _Wolfen_ (1981), died on 27 April. [LP]
     _B.J. Hogg_ (1955-2020), Northern Irish actor whose film credits include _The Second Jungle Book: Mowgli & Baloo_ (1997), _City of Ember_ (2008) and _Your Highness_ (2011), died on 30 April aged 65. [James Millar]
     _Joel Rogosin_ (1932-2020) , US producer/director whose tv credits include _Circle of Fear_ (1972-1973), _Mr Merlin_ (1981-1982) and _Knight Rider_ (1983-1984), died on 21 April aged 87. [AIP]
     _Matty Simmons_, co-founder of _National Lampoon_ and producer of various spinoff films, died on 29 April aged 93. [PDF]

THOG'S GOLDEN OLDIES from _Ansible_ 154, May 2000. 'They were both roughly the same age, in their very early fifties, though a hundred years earlier they would have appeared much younger.' (D.F. Jones, _Colossus_, 1966)
     'The police report said there had been a thunderclap, as if the burning house had disappeared so suddenly that the air had rushed back inaudibly.' (John Barnes, _Finity_, 1999)
     _Dept of Scientific Units:_ '... the world would do well to stick to the [ramjet] system, accepting that Mach 2 as an average transit time was fast enough for anyone.' (D.F. Jones, _Colossus and the Crab_, 1977)


_Ansible_(R) 394 (C) David Langford, 2020. Thanks to Douglas A. Anderson, John Boston, Termy Cornall, Gary Couzens, Michael Cule, Paul Di Filippo, Bob Eggleton, _Doctor Who News_, _File 770_, Esther Friesner, Bruce Gillespie, Steve Green, Rob Hansen, Chip Hitchcock, Steve Jones, Samuel Montgomery-Blinn, Michael Moorcock, Chris Moore, Edward Morris, Chris O'Shea, Lawrence Person, Andrew I. Porter, Adam Roberts, Nigel Rowe, Joyce Scrivner, Bruce Townley, Nick Watkins, Andrew Wells, Gary Westfahl, Charles Wingate, Martin Morse Wooster, and Hero Distributors: Durdles Books (Brum Group), SCIS/Prophecy and Alan Stewart (Australia).

1 May 2020

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