Ansible 440 -- March 2024
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Mar 1, 2024, 12:09:04 PMMar 1
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ANSIBLE(R) 440
MARCH 2024
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 the latest IKEA manual for assembling a parapatterner.
[NET NOTE. See https://news.ansible.uk/a440.html for the nice HTML version; https://news.ansible.uk/pdf/a440.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]
### THE WORM THAT FLIES ###
SUSAN COOPER has been named as SFWA's fortieth Damon Knight Grand Master for life achievement. (SFWA email, 7 February)
CHINA MIEVILLE's coming novel collaboration with Keanu Reeves provoked a comment deemed worthy of Pseuds Corner in _Private Eye_ (16 February): 'Put it this way: remember when Eleanor of Portugal married Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III, and they weren't an obvious fit, but created an empire that held the throne continuously for the next 400 years? It's that order of magnitude. Reeves and Mieville will wear the Weird Novel crown, conceivably forever.' (Zoe Williams, _The Guardian_)
SAMANTHA MILLS feels that the 2023 Hugos are so compromised by recent revelations (see 'Random Fandom' below) that she can no longer claim to be a winner for 'Rabbit Test' as best short story, and has deleted this win from her online biography. (Samtasticbooks.com, 17 February) Adrian Tchaikovsky made the same decision about his announced win for 'Children of Time' as best series. (adriantchaikovsky.com, 21 February)
JO FLETCHER is suffering the traditional fate of departed founding editors: Quercus has mass-emailed past and present Jo Fletcher Books authors with the 'exciting news' that JFB is being rebranded this month -- or rather, absorbed into the parent company's existing imprint Arcadia.
### CONKY ###
7-9 Mar [] FRIGHTFEST (film), Glasgow Film Theatre. Tickets GBP83; individual films GBP11.80 or GBP9.50 concessions. See frightfest.co.uk/tickets.
7 Mar [] SF BY GASLIGHT (performance), Birmingham. 6:30-8:40pm. GBP10 (students GBP5) plus booking fee. Tickets at tinyurl.com/5n8fn4b8.
8-10 Mar [] MINAMICON (anime), Novotel Hotel, Southampton. GBP75 reg. Further details at www.minamicon.org.uk.
9-10 Mar [] DUBLIN COMIC CON, Convention Centre, Dublin. Various ticket prices (extra for early entry, etc.) at dublincomiccon.com.
14-17 Mar [] CAMP SFW, Vauxhall Holiday Park, Great Yarmouth. Weekend pass GBP130; more options at www.scifiweekender.com.
16 Mar [] GOLLANCZFEST 2024, Leonardo Royal London, St Paul's, London. 9:30am-6pm. GBP63; concessions GBP42. See www.gollancz.co.uk/news/2023/10/06/gollanczfest-2024/.
23 Mar [] DARKNESS IN THE FIELDS (folk horror film festival), QUAD, Derby. GBP30 reg. See www.derbyquad.co.uk/events/darknessinthefields/.
23 Mar [] PICOCON 41, Blackett Lecture Theatre 1, Imperial College, London. GBP5 for ICSF members, GBP8 for non-members, and (mysteriously) GBP10 for alumni. See picocon41.carrd.co for further information.
24 Mar [] PAPERBACK & PULP BOOK FAIR, Holiday Inn Bloomsbury, Coram St, London WC1N 1HT. 9:30am-3pm. GBP3 admission. Combined with the Bloomsbury Ephemera Fair: see etcfairs.com/ephemera-fairs/.
29 Mar - 1 Apr [] LEVITATION (Eastercon), Telford International Centre. GBP140 reg; GBP60 concessions; GBP35 supporting/virtual only; day GBP35 Friday or Monday, GBP50 Saturday or Sunday. See eastercon2024.co.uk. _The Dealers' Room and Art Show are both fully booked._ (Email, 26 February)
30-31 Mar [] CONPULSION (games), The Pleasance, Edinburgh, EH8 9TJ. Tickets GBP20 or GBP10 each day. See conpulsion.org.
6 Apr [] BEDFORD WHO CHARITY CON (_Doctor Who_), King's House, Ampthill Road, Bedford, MK42 9AZ. 10am-5:30pm. Tickets GBP49.50; under-14s GBP20. See bedfordwhocharitycon.co.uk.
31 May - 2 Jun [] FUNCON ONE, Palace Hotel, Buxton. GBP65 reg, _rising to GBP70 after Eastercon_; GBP40 concessions. See funcon.lol.
7 Jul [] AINTREE COMIC CON, Aintree Racecourse. 10am-4pm. Adult tickets GBP11; other rates at www.ljeventsentertainment.com.
8-12 Aug [] GLASGOW 2024 (Worldcon) Glasgow SEC. _New rates:_ GBP230 reg; first Worldcon GBP165; Scots residents GBP150; under-26s GBP135 or GBP95 Scots; under-16s GBP90; under-11s GBP55; under-6s GBP5. Virtual GBP80; GBP40 without WSFA membership (Hugo/site voting). See glasgow2024.org. _Hugo nominations are still open but close for good on 9 March._
29 Aug - 2 Sep [] OXONMOOT (Tolkien Society), St Anne's, Oxford. GBP120 reg. See www.tolkiensociety.org/events/oxonmoot-2024/.
28 Sep [] INNSMOUTH LITERARY FESTIVAL, Kings House Centre, 245 Ampthill Rd, Bedford MK42 9AZ. GoH Charles Stross. 10am-5pm. More details awaited at innsmouthgold.com/innsmouth-literary-festival.
25-27 Oct [] FESTIVAL OF FANTASTIC FILMS, Pendulum Hotel, Manchester. _Registration now GBP110._ See fantastic-films.uk for day rates.
26-27 Oct [] BRISTOLCON, Hilton DoubleTree Hotel, Bristol. GoH Peter F. Hamilton, Joanne Harris. GBP60 reg; GBP45 under-18s, concessions, disabled; under-14s free; GBP20 supp. Day rates at www.bristolcon.org.
16-17 Nov [] THOUGHT BUBBLE COMIC CONVENTION, Harrogate Convention Centre, as part of comics festival. GBP33 weekend; GBP24/day; under-12s, over-65s and carers free. See thoughtbubblefestival.com.
7-9 Feb 2025 [] CONTABILE 35 (filk), 'central UK' venue and membership rates to be announced at www.contabile.org.uk/c35/.
7-10 Feb 2025 [] SCOTIACON (furry), Crowne Plaza Hotel, Glasgow. 'Magical Mayhem' theme. More awaited at www.scotiacon.org.uk.
RUMBLINGS _Seattle Worldcon 2025:_ the 'January' price rise is _still_ delayed for technical reasons. See seattlein2025.org.
_Worldcon 2026:_ the Los Angeles bid at lain2026.org is unopposed; too late for any rival bid now.
_Worldcon 2027:_ Montreal, Canada, at bid.montreal2027.ca (2-6 September) is challenging the Tel Aviv bid at worldcon.sf-f.org.il.
### INFINITELY IMPROBABLE ###
AS WE DO OUR OWN THING. What fan could not be inspired to cosplay glory by the news headline 'I made my _Star Wars_ Chewbacca suit from 45 bags of hair extensions'? (BBC Scotland, 17 February)
AWARDS. _BAFTA_ animated film: _The Boy and the Heron_.
_SFPA Grand Master_ (poetry) F.J. Bergmann. [F770]
_Skylark:_ belated 2023 presentation to John Scalzi; 2024, Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman.
AS OTHERS PROMOTE US. Once again, journalists are amazed by the wholly new concept of fantasy novels that appeal to women: a _Guardian_ (2 February) article on the 'romantasy' marketing category quotes various pundits enthusing about the staggering innovations. 'The genre's appeal may also be down to its "bold heroines" and "strong yet nuanced female characters", says Kathleen Farrar at Bloomsbury. "These stories have attracted huge numbers of female readers who may previously not have felt particularly welcome or catered for in the fantasy market."' [JDN]
R.I.P. _Alev Alath_ (1944-2024), Turkish author of the 'Schrodinger's Cat' sf diptych -- _Kabus_ (1999) and _Ruya_ (2000) -- died on 2 February. [AM]
_Alan Brownjohn_ (1931-2024), UK author and poet whose sf novels were _The Way You Tell Them_ (1990) and _Enjoyment_ (2016), died on 23 February aged 92. [JC]
_Carlos Buiza_ (1940-2024), Spanish sf author and editor most active 1965-1972, whose first collection was _Un mundo sin luz_ (_A World Without Light_, 1967), died on 27 January aged 83. [MVG]
_Tamas Deak_ (1928-2024) Hungarian composer who scored the animated sf series _A Mezga csalad kulonos kalandjai_ (_Strange Adventures of the Mezga Family_, 1969/1973/1978), died on 12 February. [AM]
_Charles Dierkop_ (1936-2024), US actor in _Invisible Dad_ (1998), _Superguy: Behind the Cape_ (2000), _Reverse Heaven_ (2018) and genre tv series, died on 25 February aged 87. [LP]
_Peter Fagan_ (1956-2024), Australian fan and Worldcon-goer active in the Nova Mob and Melbourne and Canberra SF Clubs, died on 15 January aged 67. [MM]
_Greg Finley_ (1947-2024), US actor known for voice work in the US _Robotech_ (1985 and spinoffs), _Starchaser: The Legend of Orin_ (1985) and others, died on 1 February aged 76. [AIP]
_Ramona Fradon_ (1926-2024), US comics artist who worked on DC's 1959 _Aquaman_ reboot, co-created the DC character Metamorpho and entered the Will Eisner Hall of Fame in 2006, died on 24 February aged 97; she had retired in January. [PDF/O]
_Chris Gauthier_ (1976-2024), UK-born Canadian actor in _Freddy vs. Jason_ (2003), _Watchmen_ (2009) and genre tv series including _A Town Called Eureka_ (2006-2012) and _Once Upon a Time_ (2011-2018), died on 23 February aged 48. [AIP]
_Mark Gustafson_ (1959-2024), US writer, director and animator with credits for _Claymation Easter_ (1992), _Fantastic Mr Fox_ (2009) and _Pinocchio_ (2022), died on 1 February aged 64. [AIP]
_Michael Jayston_ (1935-2024), UK actor in _Doctor Who_ (The Valeyard in 'Trial of a Time Lord', 1986), _Highlander III_ (1994) and _20,000 Leagues Under the Sea_ (1997), died on 5 February aged 88. [MY]
_Richard Lewis_ (1947-2024), US comedian and actor in _Robin Hood: Men in Tights_ (1993), _The Maze_ (1997), _Vamps_ (2012) and genre tv series, died on 27 February aged 76. [LP]
_Jackie Loughery_ (1930-2024), US beauty queen and actress in _Abbott and Costello Go to Mars_ (1953) and _Son of Sinbad_ (1955), died on 23 February aged 93. [LP]
_Richard Mathews_ (1944-2024), US publisher (University of Tampa Press) and critic whose books include _Fantasy: The Liberation of Imagination_ (1997) and studies of Aldiss, Anthony Burgess, William Morris and Tolkien, died on 3 January aged 79. [DAA]
_Steve Miller_ (1950-2024), US author of the popular 'Liaden Universe' space operas (1988-present) with his long-time wife and writing partner Sharon Lee, died on 20 February aged 73. [SL] Condolences to Sharon Lee.
_Kenneth Mitchell_ (1974-2024), Canadian actor in _Jericho_ (2006-2008), _Frequency_ (2016-2017), _Star Trek: Discovery_ (2017-2021) and _Captain Marvel_ (2019), died on 24 February aged 49. [F770]
_Don Murray_ (1929-2024), US actor in _Conquest of the Planet of the Apes_ (1972), _Radioactive Dreams_ (1984), _Peggy Sue Got Married_ (1986), _Twin Peaks_ (2017) and others, died on 2 February aged 94. [LP]
_Paul Neary_ (1949-2024), UK comics artist, writer and editor who worked for Warren, _2000 AD_, Marvel (both UK and US, on titles including _The Ultimates_) and DC, died on 10 February aged 74. [POM]
_Mojo Nixon_ (1957-2024), US musician and actor in _Super Mario Bros_ (1993) and _A Four Course Meal_ (2005), with music credits for _Astro Loco_ (2021), died on 7 February aged 66. [LP]
_William O'Connell_ (1929-2024), US actor in _The Haunted_ (1991) and several genre tv series including _Star Trek_ (1967), died on 15 January aged 94. [AIP]
_John Powell_, UK BBC producer responsible for the first full radio version of _The Hobbit_ in 1968, died in February aged 92. [AIP]
_Christopher Priest_ (1943-2024), UK author of great distinction whose works appeared from 1966 to 2023 and include the hauntingly memorable 'Dream Archipelago' sequence, died on 2 February aged 80. Among his honours are BSFA Awards for _Inverted World_ (1974) and others, Ditmars for _The Space Machine_ (1976) and _The Affirmation_ (1981), the World Fantasy Award and the non-genre James Tait Black Memorial Prize for _The Prestige_ (1995, memorably filmed 2006), the Arthur C. Clarke Award for _The Separation_ (2002) and a shared John W. Campbell Memorial Award for _The Islanders_ (2011). _The Book on the Edge of Forever_ (1994), his unsparing analysis of what went wrong with _The Last Dangerous Visions_, was a 1995 Hugo finalist. On a personal note, Chris was my friend for over 50 years, my partner in software and publishing ventures, my literary agent, and an ever-entertaining correspondent. I miss him very much. All sympathy to his widow Nina Allan, and to his twin children from an earlier marriage to Leigh Kennedy.
_Romero_ (Enrique Badia Romero, 1930-2024), Spanish comics artist who drew _Modesty Blaise_ 1970-1978 and contributed to _2000 AD_ and _Judge Dredd Megazine_, died on 15 February aged 93. [SJ]
_Pamela Salem_ (1944-2024), UK actress in _Never Say Never Again_ (1983) and genre tv series including _Doctor Who_ (1977-1988) and _Into the Labyrinth_ (1981-1982), died on 21 February aged 80. [AIP]
_John Savident_ (1938-2024), UK _Coronation Street_ actor whose credits include _A Clockwork Orange_ (1971), _The Mystery of the Disappearing Schoolgirls_ (1980) and _Hudson Hawk_ (1991), died on 21 February aged 86. [AW]
_Brian Stableford_ (1948-2024), hugely prolific UK author, critic and translator active since the mid-1960s, whose first sf novel was _Cradle of the Sun_ (1969), died on 24 February aged 75. [KS] His numerous series included the 1972-1975 'Hooded Swan' space operas; he wrote many entries for the _SF Encyclopedia_ (1979, 1993) and received the Eaton Award for his nonfiction _Scientific Romance in Britain: 1890-1950_ (1985), plus the 1999 Pilgrim career award for sf studies; _The Empire of Fear_ (1988) notably reworked the vampire myth in rationalized scientific-romance terms; more recently he translated huge amounts of French sf and proto-sf not previously available in English. I'm sad to lose an old friend and sometime collaborator -- e.g. on _The Third Millennium: A History of the World AD 2000-3000_ (1985), where Brian was very much the senior partner. My sympathy to his family.
_Matt Sweeney_ (1948-2024), Oscar-winning US special effects artist whose films include _The Lost Boys_ (1987), _Arachnophobia_ (1990), _Galaxy Quest_ (1999) and _The Time Machine_ (2002), died on 19 February aged 75. [AIP]
_Ira von Furstenberg_ (1940-2024), Italian actress in _Matchless_ (1967), died on 18 February aged 83. [SJ]
_Carl Weathers_ (1948-2024), US actor in _Close Encounters of the Third Kind_ (1977), _Predator_ (1987), _The Mandalorian_ (2019-2023), _Toy Story 4_ (2019) and others, died on 1 February aged 76. [LP]
_Dan Wilcox_ (1941-2024), US tv producer and screenwriter who wrote 30 episodes of _Sesame Street_ (1969-1990), died on 14 February aged 82.
WILLY'S CHOCOLATE EXPERIENCE, a February 'chocolate factory' event for children(cashing in without apparent permission on Roald Dahl's book and films), was miserably set in a grim Glasgow warehouse with a few hangings, and props like plastic mushrooms. Kids expecting a chocolate fountain were rationed to one jelly bean and a quarter-cup of lemonade. An actor playing Willy Wonka found that 'The script was 15 pages of AI-generated gibberish' and was told: 'You're spending too much time with the kids, we need to get them through as quickly as possible.' Riot loomed and police were called in. The inept organizer Billy Coull refunded many GBP35 tickets; actors reportedly went unpaid. (_Independent_, 29 February)
THE DEAD PAST. _30 Years Ago:_ 'Cecelia Holland has finally read William James's "Sunfall" trilogy, noted here last year as bearing a Curious Resemblance to her 1969 historical novel _Until the Sun Falls_. Ms Holland seems to agree, in an incandescent letter which we may publish after she's taken legal advice. Latest rumour: devotees of her mediaeval novels _The Earl_ (in UK, _A Hammer for Princes_) and _Great Maria_ may also find happy memories in the pages of "Sunfall".' (_Ansible_ 80, March 1994)
_50 Years Ago_, a new but short-lived UK newszine launched: 'The appalling NEL tax-write-off _Science Fiction Monthly_ has begun to wreak its effect on fandom. Following a notice in the first issue [...] the February Globe meeting was overrun with a peculiar mixture of drunken cretins and sf freaks (who were not disappointed as John Brunner showed up from the Depths of Devon to prove to them science fiction writers really are other than human after all).' (Greg Pickersgill, _Grim News_ 1, March 1974)
RANDOM FANDOM. _Chris M. Barkley and Jason Sanford_ published the lengthy and depressing 'The 2023 Hugo Awards: A Report on Censorship and Exclusion' on 14 February. See file770.com/the-2023-hugo-awards-a-report-on-censorship-and-exclusion/. [F770] Leaked emails suggest that Hugo administrator Dave McCarty and his North American team were less concerned with voters' preferences than with avoiding even hypothetical offence to PRC/CCP authorities. Political dossiers on Hugo nominees were sloppily assembled: it was a black mark against fan writer Paul Wiemer that he had allegedly visited Tibet (in fact Nepal, but these mountainy places are all much the same), while an actual visit to Tibet by novel winner T. Kingfisher (Ursula Vernon) was somehow not a problem. _Babel_ by the outspoken R.F. Kuang was removed from the novel finalists even though its Chinese publisher evidently had no such qualms. It also appears that ballots following recommendations in the huge-circulation Chinese _Science Fiction World_ were disqualified en masse as slate votes -- just imagine doing that for titles on the _Locus_ Recommended Reading List -- implying that an untampered count would have seen the fiction categories dominated by Chinese work. _The Plain People of Fandom:_ Wasn't it repeatedly stated during the Puppy debacle that Hugo administrators can't just dump perceived 'slate' ballots like that? _Myself:_ Some administrators may consider themselves more equal than others.
_Glasgow 2024_ announced the resignation of its Hugo admin Kat Jones, who now regrets helping to research those dubious dossiers. (Email, 15 February)
SMALL PRESS. Kate Macdonald's Handheld Press, champion of forgotten works, will publish its last book in July. See handheldpress.co.uk.
FANFUNDERY. _Get Up and Over Fan Fund (GUFF):_ nominations are open for the 2024 northbound race from Oceania to the Glasgow Worldcon, closing on 23 March. Nominators and candidate platforms required as usual. Contact guffeurope [at] gmail dot com or see ozfanfunds.com/?page_id=6.
_TransAtlantic Fan Fund:_ voting in the 2024 race ends on 2 April. See taff.org.uk.
_European Fan Fund:_ voting in the 2024 race ends on 1 April. See latest posts at fandomrover.com/category/eff/.
_TAFF Benefit Books._ Rob Hansen has greatly expanded his 2019 _Challenging Moskowitz: 1930s Fandom Revisited_ to 71,000 words. The new ebook, along with the first paperback edition, should appear in April or May.
YO-HO-HO. Online fan fiction set in commercial franchises often gets a free pass despite technical illegality, because it's not offered for sale. Alas, cowboy entrepreneurs are now printing and selling physical copies, to the horror of authors who didn't expect to be paid (and aren't) but fear their hobby will be shut down by corporate lawyers. (Xitter, _passim_)
THOG'S MASTERCLASS. _Olfactory Logic._ 'He could smell the sea on the breeze. Things always smelled better when one was up high. Perhaps that was because heads smelled better than feet did.' (Brandon Sanderson channelling Robert Jordan, _A Memory of Light_, 2013) [AR]
_The Gourmet Male Gaze._ 'Mat thought eating a meal these days was like going to a dance where there were only ugly girls.' (_Ibid_) [AR]
_True Romance Dept._ 'Her principal weapon of seduction is a mento-activated brassiere, a device she can snap open by sending a thought command from her brain-implanted mento transmitter to a sensor in the bra.' (Brian Herbert, _The Garbage Chronicles_, 1985) [FM]
_Banned in Florida, Ineligible for the Hugo in China._ 'Sufficient is to tell that in New York one night, reading over what is perhaps the most sensational of my books -- _The Poppies and Primulas of Southern Tibet_ ...' (A. Merritt, _The Metal Monster_, 1946)
### GEEKS' CORNER ###
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CONVENTION AND EVENT LINKS
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Overseas -- https://news.ansible.uk/conlisti.html [no longer updated]
### ENDNOTES ###
PAYPAL TIP JAR THINGY. Donate to support _Ansible_, cover website costs and keep the editor happy! Or just buy his books.
https://ansible.uk/paypal.html
https://ae.ansible.uk/
https://ansible.uk/books/index.html
GROUP THEORY.
21 March 2024, evening: London Zoom meeting, third Thursday of each month. 'Please share this with people who you know typically come to the Bishop's Finger, but aren't on Facebook.'
https://bohemiancoast.medium.com/first-thursday-london-sf-fan-virtual-drinks-5232021e961f
23 March 2024, 1pm-3pm: _Phantasmagoria_ Special _Hellraiser_ Edition signing with Peter Atkins, Les Edwards, Stephen Jones, Kim Newman, Graham Humphreys, Trevor Kennedy and Geoff Portass at The Marquis Cornwallis, 31 Marchmont St, London, London, WC1N 1HE.
EDITORIAL. Currently remembering how Martin Hoare and I had a tradition of going out for a St David's Day pub crawl....
THE DEAD PAST II. _Thirty Years Ago_, in a fit of whimsy or gloom or both, Brian Stableford wrote his own _Ansible_ obituary under a pseudonym:
https://news.ansible.uk/a82.html#27
Which reminds me that Chris Priest also enlivened _Ansible_ with several contributions including the 1979 article that launched GUFF, and his guest of honour speeches for the 2004 Eastercon and 2005 Worldcon:
https://taff.org.uk/news/tng5.html#priest
https://news.ansible.uk/a202-cp.html
https://news.ansible.uk/a218-cp.html
RANDOM FANDOM II. _Correcting William Gibson:_ 'The sky above the port was Pantone 17-5104.' (Hugo Book Club blog, Xitter, 29 February; that particular shade is 'Ultimate Gray')
https://twitter.com/Hugo_Book_Club/status/1763225630840082656
R.I.P. II -- LATE AND LAST-MINUTE REPORTS. _Jose Dembo_ (1933-2924), comics artist who drew _Wonder Woman_ for DC and _The Transformers_ for Marvel, died on 5 February. [SHS]
_Lanny Flaherty_ (1942-2024), US actor in _Waterworld_ (1995), _Signs_ (2002), _Men in Black 3_ (2012) and others, died on 18 February aged 81. [SHS]
_Jaime Lee Moyer_, US historical fantasy author and poet whose first novel _Delia's Shadow_ (2013) opened the 'Delia Martin' trilogy, was found dead at home on 29 February. [CCF]
_Kent Melton_ (1955-2024), US animator whose credits include _Aladdin_ (1992), _Hercules_ (1997), _Atlantis: The Lost Empire_ (2001) and _The Incredibles_ (2004), died on 22 February. [SHS]
_Micheline Presle_ (1922-2024), French actress in _The Magic Donkey_ (1970), _A Slightly Pregnant Man_ (1973) and others, died on 21 February aged 101. [SHS]
APRIL IS THE CRUELLEST MONTH because on 2 April there's _another_ Royal Mail price hike, with second-class internal postage rising from 75p to 85p, first-class from GBP1.25 to GBP1.35, and international letters from GBP2.20 to GBP2.50.
SOME LINKS from the _Ansible_ home page.
The 2023 Hugo Awards: A Report on Censorship and Exclusion
https://file770.com/the-2023-hugo-awards-a-report-on-censorship-and-exclusion/
Bram Stoker Awards finalists
https://www.thebramstokerawards.com/front-page/the-2023-bram-stoker-awards-final-ballot/
BSFA Awards finalists
https://www.bsfa.co.uk/bsfa-awards-shortlist
Camestros Felapton: 'Hugo 2023: Here is what I think happened'; also, Worldcon 2036!
https://camestrosfelapton.wordpress.com/2024/02/16/hugo-2023-here-is-what-i-think-happened/
https://camestrosfelapton.wordpress.com/2024/02/17/worldcon-2036-timothy-saves-the-day/
_Locus_ Recommended Reading List for 2023
https://locusmag.com/2024/02/2023-recommended-reading-list/
Samantha Mills: "'Rabbit Test' unwins the Hugo"
https://samtasticbooks.com/2024/02/17/rabbit-test-unwins-the-hugo/
Christopher Priest (1943-2024): _SF Encyclopedia_ links
https://sf-encyclopedia.com/news/christopher_priest
Brian Stableford (1948-2024); charity fundraiser in his memory
https://sf-encyclopedia.com/news/brian_stableford
https://justgiving.com/team/stablefordtribute
THOG'S GOLDEN OLDIES from _Ansible_ 200, March 2004. _Tone of Voice Dept._ '"What is it, Arthur?" Admiral Greer asked, wearing a cheap golf shirt.' (Tom Clancy, _Red Rabbit_, 2002)
_Purple Passage Dept._ '... in the blood of stainless childhood the leprous limbs of phosphorescent Lilith were laved.' (H.P. Lovecraft, 'The Horror At Red Hook', January 1927 _Weird Tales_)
_Ansible_(R) 440 (C) David Langford, 2024. Thanks to Douglas A. Anderson, John Clute, _File 770_, Paul Di Filippo, C.C. Finlay, Steve Jones, Sharon Lee, Padraig O Mealoid, Murray McLachlan, Farah Mendlesohn, Andrey Meshavkin, James D. Nicoll, Omega, Lawrence Person, Andrew I. Porter, Adam Roberts, Steven H Silver, Katy Stableford, Mariano Villarreal Gonzalez, Andrew Wells, Mark Young and as always our Hero Distributors: Durdles Books (Birmingham SF Group), SCIS/Prophecy and Alan Stewart (Australia).
1 March 2024
MARCH 2024
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 the latest IKEA manual for assembling a parapatterner.
[NET NOTE. See https://news.ansible.uk/a440.html for the nice HTML version; https://news.ansible.uk/pdf/a440.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]
### THE WORM THAT FLIES ###
SUSAN COOPER has been named as SFWA's fortieth Damon Knight Grand Master for life achievement. (SFWA email, 7 February)
CHINA MIEVILLE's coming novel collaboration with Keanu Reeves provoked a comment deemed worthy of Pseuds Corner in _Private Eye_ (16 February): 'Put it this way: remember when Eleanor of Portugal married Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III, and they weren't an obvious fit, but created an empire that held the throne continuously for the next 400 years? It's that order of magnitude. Reeves and Mieville will wear the Weird Novel crown, conceivably forever.' (Zoe Williams, _The Guardian_)
SAMANTHA MILLS feels that the 2023 Hugos are so compromised by recent revelations (see 'Random Fandom' below) that she can no longer claim to be a winner for 'Rabbit Test' as best short story, and has deleted this win from her online biography. (Samtasticbooks.com, 17 February) Adrian Tchaikovsky made the same decision about his announced win for 'Children of Time' as best series. (adriantchaikovsky.com, 21 February)
JO FLETCHER is suffering the traditional fate of departed founding editors: Quercus has mass-emailed past and present Jo Fletcher Books authors with the 'exciting news' that JFB is being rebranded this month -- or rather, absorbed into the parent company's existing imprint Arcadia.
### CONKY ###
7-9 Mar [] FRIGHTFEST (film), Glasgow Film Theatre. Tickets GBP83; individual films GBP11.80 or GBP9.50 concessions. See frightfest.co.uk/tickets.
7 Mar [] SF BY GASLIGHT (performance), Birmingham. 6:30-8:40pm. GBP10 (students GBP5) plus booking fee. Tickets at tinyurl.com/5n8fn4b8.
8-10 Mar [] MINAMICON (anime), Novotel Hotel, Southampton. GBP75 reg. Further details at www.minamicon.org.uk.
9-10 Mar [] DUBLIN COMIC CON, Convention Centre, Dublin. Various ticket prices (extra for early entry, etc.) at dublincomiccon.com.
14-17 Mar [] CAMP SFW, Vauxhall Holiday Park, Great Yarmouth. Weekend pass GBP130; more options at www.scifiweekender.com.
16 Mar [] GOLLANCZFEST 2024, Leonardo Royal London, St Paul's, London. 9:30am-6pm. GBP63; concessions GBP42. See www.gollancz.co.uk/news/2023/10/06/gollanczfest-2024/.
23 Mar [] DARKNESS IN THE FIELDS (folk horror film festival), QUAD, Derby. GBP30 reg. See www.derbyquad.co.uk/events/darknessinthefields/.
23 Mar [] PICOCON 41, Blackett Lecture Theatre 1, Imperial College, London. GBP5 for ICSF members, GBP8 for non-members, and (mysteriously) GBP10 for alumni. See picocon41.carrd.co for further information.
24 Mar [] PAPERBACK & PULP BOOK FAIR, Holiday Inn Bloomsbury, Coram St, London WC1N 1HT. 9:30am-3pm. GBP3 admission. Combined with the Bloomsbury Ephemera Fair: see etcfairs.com/ephemera-fairs/.
29 Mar - 1 Apr [] LEVITATION (Eastercon), Telford International Centre. GBP140 reg; GBP60 concessions; GBP35 supporting/virtual only; day GBP35 Friday or Monday, GBP50 Saturday or Sunday. See eastercon2024.co.uk. _The Dealers' Room and Art Show are both fully booked._ (Email, 26 February)
30-31 Mar [] CONPULSION (games), The Pleasance, Edinburgh, EH8 9TJ. Tickets GBP20 or GBP10 each day. See conpulsion.org.
6 Apr [] BEDFORD WHO CHARITY CON (_Doctor Who_), King's House, Ampthill Road, Bedford, MK42 9AZ. 10am-5:30pm. Tickets GBP49.50; under-14s GBP20. See bedfordwhocharitycon.co.uk.
31 May - 2 Jun [] FUNCON ONE, Palace Hotel, Buxton. GBP65 reg, _rising to GBP70 after Eastercon_; GBP40 concessions. See funcon.lol.
7 Jul [] AINTREE COMIC CON, Aintree Racecourse. 10am-4pm. Adult tickets GBP11; other rates at www.ljeventsentertainment.com.
8-12 Aug [] GLASGOW 2024 (Worldcon) Glasgow SEC. _New rates:_ GBP230 reg; first Worldcon GBP165; Scots residents GBP150; under-26s GBP135 or GBP95 Scots; under-16s GBP90; under-11s GBP55; under-6s GBP5. Virtual GBP80; GBP40 without WSFA membership (Hugo/site voting). See glasgow2024.org. _Hugo nominations are still open but close for good on 9 March._
29 Aug - 2 Sep [] OXONMOOT (Tolkien Society), St Anne's, Oxford. GBP120 reg. See www.tolkiensociety.org/events/oxonmoot-2024/.
28 Sep [] INNSMOUTH LITERARY FESTIVAL, Kings House Centre, 245 Ampthill Rd, Bedford MK42 9AZ. GoH Charles Stross. 10am-5pm. More details awaited at innsmouthgold.com/innsmouth-literary-festival.
25-27 Oct [] FESTIVAL OF FANTASTIC FILMS, Pendulum Hotel, Manchester. _Registration now GBP110._ See fantastic-films.uk for day rates.
26-27 Oct [] BRISTOLCON, Hilton DoubleTree Hotel, Bristol. GoH Peter F. Hamilton, Joanne Harris. GBP60 reg; GBP45 under-18s, concessions, disabled; under-14s free; GBP20 supp. Day rates at www.bristolcon.org.
16-17 Nov [] THOUGHT BUBBLE COMIC CONVENTION, Harrogate Convention Centre, as part of comics festival. GBP33 weekend; GBP24/day; under-12s, over-65s and carers free. See thoughtbubblefestival.com.
7-9 Feb 2025 [] CONTABILE 35 (filk), 'central UK' venue and membership rates to be announced at www.contabile.org.uk/c35/.
7-10 Feb 2025 [] SCOTIACON (furry), Crowne Plaza Hotel, Glasgow. 'Magical Mayhem' theme. More awaited at www.scotiacon.org.uk.
RUMBLINGS _Seattle Worldcon 2025:_ the 'January' price rise is _still_ delayed for technical reasons. See seattlein2025.org.
_Worldcon 2026:_ the Los Angeles bid at lain2026.org is unopposed; too late for any rival bid now.
_Worldcon 2027:_ Montreal, Canada, at bid.montreal2027.ca (2-6 September) is challenging the Tel Aviv bid at worldcon.sf-f.org.il.
### INFINITELY IMPROBABLE ###
AS WE DO OUR OWN THING. What fan could not be inspired to cosplay glory by the news headline 'I made my _Star Wars_ Chewbacca suit from 45 bags of hair extensions'? (BBC Scotland, 17 February)
AWARDS. _BAFTA_ animated film: _The Boy and the Heron_.
_SFPA Grand Master_ (poetry) F.J. Bergmann. [F770]
_Skylark:_ belated 2023 presentation to John Scalzi; 2024, Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman.
AS OTHERS PROMOTE US. Once again, journalists are amazed by the wholly new concept of fantasy novels that appeal to women: a _Guardian_ (2 February) article on the 'romantasy' marketing category quotes various pundits enthusing about the staggering innovations. 'The genre's appeal may also be down to its "bold heroines" and "strong yet nuanced female characters", says Kathleen Farrar at Bloomsbury. "These stories have attracted huge numbers of female readers who may previously not have felt particularly welcome or catered for in the fantasy market."' [JDN]
R.I.P. _Alev Alath_ (1944-2024), Turkish author of the 'Schrodinger's Cat' sf diptych -- _Kabus_ (1999) and _Ruya_ (2000) -- died on 2 February. [AM]
_Alan Brownjohn_ (1931-2024), UK author and poet whose sf novels were _The Way You Tell Them_ (1990) and _Enjoyment_ (2016), died on 23 February aged 92. [JC]
_Carlos Buiza_ (1940-2024), Spanish sf author and editor most active 1965-1972, whose first collection was _Un mundo sin luz_ (_A World Without Light_, 1967), died on 27 January aged 83. [MVG]
_Tamas Deak_ (1928-2024) Hungarian composer who scored the animated sf series _A Mezga csalad kulonos kalandjai_ (_Strange Adventures of the Mezga Family_, 1969/1973/1978), died on 12 February. [AM]
_Charles Dierkop_ (1936-2024), US actor in _Invisible Dad_ (1998), _Superguy: Behind the Cape_ (2000), _Reverse Heaven_ (2018) and genre tv series, died on 25 February aged 87. [LP]
_Peter Fagan_ (1956-2024), Australian fan and Worldcon-goer active in the Nova Mob and Melbourne and Canberra SF Clubs, died on 15 January aged 67. [MM]
_Greg Finley_ (1947-2024), US actor known for voice work in the US _Robotech_ (1985 and spinoffs), _Starchaser: The Legend of Orin_ (1985) and others, died on 1 February aged 76. [AIP]
_Ramona Fradon_ (1926-2024), US comics artist who worked on DC's 1959 _Aquaman_ reboot, co-created the DC character Metamorpho and entered the Will Eisner Hall of Fame in 2006, died on 24 February aged 97; she had retired in January. [PDF/O]
_Chris Gauthier_ (1976-2024), UK-born Canadian actor in _Freddy vs. Jason_ (2003), _Watchmen_ (2009) and genre tv series including _A Town Called Eureka_ (2006-2012) and _Once Upon a Time_ (2011-2018), died on 23 February aged 48. [AIP]
_Mark Gustafson_ (1959-2024), US writer, director and animator with credits for _Claymation Easter_ (1992), _Fantastic Mr Fox_ (2009) and _Pinocchio_ (2022), died on 1 February aged 64. [AIP]
_Michael Jayston_ (1935-2024), UK actor in _Doctor Who_ (The Valeyard in 'Trial of a Time Lord', 1986), _Highlander III_ (1994) and _20,000 Leagues Under the Sea_ (1997), died on 5 February aged 88. [MY]
_Richard Lewis_ (1947-2024), US comedian and actor in _Robin Hood: Men in Tights_ (1993), _The Maze_ (1997), _Vamps_ (2012) and genre tv series, died on 27 February aged 76. [LP]
_Jackie Loughery_ (1930-2024), US beauty queen and actress in _Abbott and Costello Go to Mars_ (1953) and _Son of Sinbad_ (1955), died on 23 February aged 93. [LP]
_Richard Mathews_ (1944-2024), US publisher (University of Tampa Press) and critic whose books include _Fantasy: The Liberation of Imagination_ (1997) and studies of Aldiss, Anthony Burgess, William Morris and Tolkien, died on 3 January aged 79. [DAA]
_Steve Miller_ (1950-2024), US author of the popular 'Liaden Universe' space operas (1988-present) with his long-time wife and writing partner Sharon Lee, died on 20 February aged 73. [SL] Condolences to Sharon Lee.
_Kenneth Mitchell_ (1974-2024), Canadian actor in _Jericho_ (2006-2008), _Frequency_ (2016-2017), _Star Trek: Discovery_ (2017-2021) and _Captain Marvel_ (2019), died on 24 February aged 49. [F770]
_Don Murray_ (1929-2024), US actor in _Conquest of the Planet of the Apes_ (1972), _Radioactive Dreams_ (1984), _Peggy Sue Got Married_ (1986), _Twin Peaks_ (2017) and others, died on 2 February aged 94. [LP]
_Paul Neary_ (1949-2024), UK comics artist, writer and editor who worked for Warren, _2000 AD_, Marvel (both UK and US, on titles including _The Ultimates_) and DC, died on 10 February aged 74. [POM]
_Mojo Nixon_ (1957-2024), US musician and actor in _Super Mario Bros_ (1993) and _A Four Course Meal_ (2005), with music credits for _Astro Loco_ (2021), died on 7 February aged 66. [LP]
_William O'Connell_ (1929-2024), US actor in _The Haunted_ (1991) and several genre tv series including _Star Trek_ (1967), died on 15 January aged 94. [AIP]
_John Powell_, UK BBC producer responsible for the first full radio version of _The Hobbit_ in 1968, died in February aged 92. [AIP]
_Christopher Priest_ (1943-2024), UK author of great distinction whose works appeared from 1966 to 2023 and include the hauntingly memorable 'Dream Archipelago' sequence, died on 2 February aged 80. Among his honours are BSFA Awards for _Inverted World_ (1974) and others, Ditmars for _The Space Machine_ (1976) and _The Affirmation_ (1981), the World Fantasy Award and the non-genre James Tait Black Memorial Prize for _The Prestige_ (1995, memorably filmed 2006), the Arthur C. Clarke Award for _The Separation_ (2002) and a shared John W. Campbell Memorial Award for _The Islanders_ (2011). _The Book on the Edge of Forever_ (1994), his unsparing analysis of what went wrong with _The Last Dangerous Visions_, was a 1995 Hugo finalist. On a personal note, Chris was my friend for over 50 years, my partner in software and publishing ventures, my literary agent, and an ever-entertaining correspondent. I miss him very much. All sympathy to his widow Nina Allan, and to his twin children from an earlier marriage to Leigh Kennedy.
_Romero_ (Enrique Badia Romero, 1930-2024), Spanish comics artist who drew _Modesty Blaise_ 1970-1978 and contributed to _2000 AD_ and _Judge Dredd Megazine_, died on 15 February aged 93. [SJ]
_Pamela Salem_ (1944-2024), UK actress in _Never Say Never Again_ (1983) and genre tv series including _Doctor Who_ (1977-1988) and _Into the Labyrinth_ (1981-1982), died on 21 February aged 80. [AIP]
_John Savident_ (1938-2024), UK _Coronation Street_ actor whose credits include _A Clockwork Orange_ (1971), _The Mystery of the Disappearing Schoolgirls_ (1980) and _Hudson Hawk_ (1991), died on 21 February aged 86. [AW]
_Brian Stableford_ (1948-2024), hugely prolific UK author, critic and translator active since the mid-1960s, whose first sf novel was _Cradle of the Sun_ (1969), died on 24 February aged 75. [KS] His numerous series included the 1972-1975 'Hooded Swan' space operas; he wrote many entries for the _SF Encyclopedia_ (1979, 1993) and received the Eaton Award for his nonfiction _Scientific Romance in Britain: 1890-1950_ (1985), plus the 1999 Pilgrim career award for sf studies; _The Empire of Fear_ (1988) notably reworked the vampire myth in rationalized scientific-romance terms; more recently he translated huge amounts of French sf and proto-sf not previously available in English. I'm sad to lose an old friend and sometime collaborator -- e.g. on _The Third Millennium: A History of the World AD 2000-3000_ (1985), where Brian was very much the senior partner. My sympathy to his family.
_Matt Sweeney_ (1948-2024), Oscar-winning US special effects artist whose films include _The Lost Boys_ (1987), _Arachnophobia_ (1990), _Galaxy Quest_ (1999) and _The Time Machine_ (2002), died on 19 February aged 75. [AIP]
_Ira von Furstenberg_ (1940-2024), Italian actress in _Matchless_ (1967), died on 18 February aged 83. [SJ]
_Carl Weathers_ (1948-2024), US actor in _Close Encounters of the Third Kind_ (1977), _Predator_ (1987), _The Mandalorian_ (2019-2023), _Toy Story 4_ (2019) and others, died on 1 February aged 76. [LP]
_Dan Wilcox_ (1941-2024), US tv producer and screenwriter who wrote 30 episodes of _Sesame Street_ (1969-1990), died on 14 February aged 82.
WILLY'S CHOCOLATE EXPERIENCE, a February 'chocolate factory' event for children(cashing in without apparent permission on Roald Dahl's book and films), was miserably set in a grim Glasgow warehouse with a few hangings, and props like plastic mushrooms. Kids expecting a chocolate fountain were rationed to one jelly bean and a quarter-cup of lemonade. An actor playing Willy Wonka found that 'The script was 15 pages of AI-generated gibberish' and was told: 'You're spending too much time with the kids, we need to get them through as quickly as possible.' Riot loomed and police were called in. The inept organizer Billy Coull refunded many GBP35 tickets; actors reportedly went unpaid. (_Independent_, 29 February)
THE DEAD PAST. _30 Years Ago:_ 'Cecelia Holland has finally read William James's "Sunfall" trilogy, noted here last year as bearing a Curious Resemblance to her 1969 historical novel _Until the Sun Falls_. Ms Holland seems to agree, in an incandescent letter which we may publish after she's taken legal advice. Latest rumour: devotees of her mediaeval novels _The Earl_ (in UK, _A Hammer for Princes_) and _Great Maria_ may also find happy memories in the pages of "Sunfall".' (_Ansible_ 80, March 1994)
_50 Years Ago_, a new but short-lived UK newszine launched: 'The appalling NEL tax-write-off _Science Fiction Monthly_ has begun to wreak its effect on fandom. Following a notice in the first issue [...] the February Globe meeting was overrun with a peculiar mixture of drunken cretins and sf freaks (who were not disappointed as John Brunner showed up from the Depths of Devon to prove to them science fiction writers really are other than human after all).' (Greg Pickersgill, _Grim News_ 1, March 1974)
RANDOM FANDOM. _Chris M. Barkley and Jason Sanford_ published the lengthy and depressing 'The 2023 Hugo Awards: A Report on Censorship and Exclusion' on 14 February. See file770.com/the-2023-hugo-awards-a-report-on-censorship-and-exclusion/. [F770] Leaked emails suggest that Hugo administrator Dave McCarty and his North American team were less concerned with voters' preferences than with avoiding even hypothetical offence to PRC/CCP authorities. Political dossiers on Hugo nominees were sloppily assembled: it was a black mark against fan writer Paul Wiemer that he had allegedly visited Tibet (in fact Nepal, but these mountainy places are all much the same), while an actual visit to Tibet by novel winner T. Kingfisher (Ursula Vernon) was somehow not a problem. _Babel_ by the outspoken R.F. Kuang was removed from the novel finalists even though its Chinese publisher evidently had no such qualms. It also appears that ballots following recommendations in the huge-circulation Chinese _Science Fiction World_ were disqualified en masse as slate votes -- just imagine doing that for titles on the _Locus_ Recommended Reading List -- implying that an untampered count would have seen the fiction categories dominated by Chinese work. _The Plain People of Fandom:_ Wasn't it repeatedly stated during the Puppy debacle that Hugo administrators can't just dump perceived 'slate' ballots like that? _Myself:_ Some administrators may consider themselves more equal than others.
_Glasgow 2024_ announced the resignation of its Hugo admin Kat Jones, who now regrets helping to research those dubious dossiers. (Email, 15 February)
SMALL PRESS. Kate Macdonald's Handheld Press, champion of forgotten works, will publish its last book in July. See handheldpress.co.uk.
FANFUNDERY. _Get Up and Over Fan Fund (GUFF):_ nominations are open for the 2024 northbound race from Oceania to the Glasgow Worldcon, closing on 23 March. Nominators and candidate platforms required as usual. Contact guffeurope [at] gmail dot com or see ozfanfunds.com/?page_id=6.
_TransAtlantic Fan Fund:_ voting in the 2024 race ends on 2 April. See taff.org.uk.
_European Fan Fund:_ voting in the 2024 race ends on 1 April. See latest posts at fandomrover.com/category/eff/.
_TAFF Benefit Books._ Rob Hansen has greatly expanded his 2019 _Challenging Moskowitz: 1930s Fandom Revisited_ to 71,000 words. The new ebook, along with the first paperback edition, should appear in April or May.
YO-HO-HO. Online fan fiction set in commercial franchises often gets a free pass despite technical illegality, because it's not offered for sale. Alas, cowboy entrepreneurs are now printing and selling physical copies, to the horror of authors who didn't expect to be paid (and aren't) but fear their hobby will be shut down by corporate lawyers. (Xitter, _passim_)
THOG'S MASTERCLASS. _Olfactory Logic._ 'He could smell the sea on the breeze. Things always smelled better when one was up high. Perhaps that was because heads smelled better than feet did.' (Brandon Sanderson channelling Robert Jordan, _A Memory of Light_, 2013) [AR]
_The Gourmet Male Gaze._ 'Mat thought eating a meal these days was like going to a dance where there were only ugly girls.' (_Ibid_) [AR]
_True Romance Dept._ 'Her principal weapon of seduction is a mento-activated brassiere, a device she can snap open by sending a thought command from her brain-implanted mento transmitter to a sensor in the bra.' (Brian Herbert, _The Garbage Chronicles_, 1985) [FM]
_Banned in Florida, Ineligible for the Hugo in China._ 'Sufficient is to tell that in New York one night, reading over what is perhaps the most sensational of my books -- _The Poppies and Primulas of Southern Tibet_ ...' (A. Merritt, _The Metal Monster_, 1946)
### GEEKS' CORNER ###
SUBSCRIPTIONS. To receive _Ansible_ monthly via email, send a message to:
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More details, and an ALTERNATIVE LIST subscription form for those averse to Google, on this page (which is also where to unsubscribe from the alternative list, hosted at ansible.uk):
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Home page -- https://news.ansible.uk/
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LiveJournal syndication -- http://www.livejournal.com/users/ansiblezine/
Back issues -- https://news.ansible.uk/aseries2.html
Printable PDFs -- https://news.ansible.uk/pdf/
Email the editor -- https://news.ansible.uk/contact.php
Books Received -- https://ansible.uk/books.php
CONVENTION AND EVENT LINKS
British Isles -- https://news.ansible.uk
London -- https://news.ansible.uk/london.html
Overseas -- https://news.ansible.uk/conlisti.html [no longer updated]
### ENDNOTES ###
PAYPAL TIP JAR THINGY. Donate to support _Ansible_, cover website costs and keep the editor happy! Or just buy his books.
https://ansible.uk/paypal.html
https://ae.ansible.uk/
https://ansible.uk/books/index.html
GROUP THEORY.
21 March 2024, evening: London Zoom meeting, third Thursday of each month. 'Please share this with people who you know typically come to the Bishop's Finger, but aren't on Facebook.'
https://bohemiancoast.medium.com/first-thursday-london-sf-fan-virtual-drinks-5232021e961f
23 March 2024, 1pm-3pm: _Phantasmagoria_ Special _Hellraiser_ Edition signing with Peter Atkins, Les Edwards, Stephen Jones, Kim Newman, Graham Humphreys, Trevor Kennedy and Geoff Portass at The Marquis Cornwallis, 31 Marchmont St, London, London, WC1N 1HE.
EDITORIAL. Currently remembering how Martin Hoare and I had a tradition of going out for a St David's Day pub crawl....
THE DEAD PAST II. _Thirty Years Ago_, in a fit of whimsy or gloom or both, Brian Stableford wrote his own _Ansible_ obituary under a pseudonym:
https://news.ansible.uk/a82.html#27
Which reminds me that Chris Priest also enlivened _Ansible_ with several contributions including the 1979 article that launched GUFF, and his guest of honour speeches for the 2004 Eastercon and 2005 Worldcon:
https://taff.org.uk/news/tng5.html#priest
https://news.ansible.uk/a202-cp.html
https://news.ansible.uk/a218-cp.html
RANDOM FANDOM II. _Correcting William Gibson:_ 'The sky above the port was Pantone 17-5104.' (Hugo Book Club blog, Xitter, 29 February; that particular shade is 'Ultimate Gray')
https://twitter.com/Hugo_Book_Club/status/1763225630840082656
R.I.P. II -- LATE AND LAST-MINUTE REPORTS. _Jose Dembo_ (1933-2924), comics artist who drew _Wonder Woman_ for DC and _The Transformers_ for Marvel, died on 5 February. [SHS]
_Lanny Flaherty_ (1942-2024), US actor in _Waterworld_ (1995), _Signs_ (2002), _Men in Black 3_ (2012) and others, died on 18 February aged 81. [SHS]
_Jaime Lee Moyer_, US historical fantasy author and poet whose first novel _Delia's Shadow_ (2013) opened the 'Delia Martin' trilogy, was found dead at home on 29 February. [CCF]
_Kent Melton_ (1955-2024), US animator whose credits include _Aladdin_ (1992), _Hercules_ (1997), _Atlantis: The Lost Empire_ (2001) and _The Incredibles_ (2004), died on 22 February. [SHS]
_Micheline Presle_ (1922-2024), French actress in _The Magic Donkey_ (1970), _A Slightly Pregnant Man_ (1973) and others, died on 21 February aged 101. [SHS]
APRIL IS THE CRUELLEST MONTH because on 2 April there's _another_ Royal Mail price hike, with second-class internal postage rising from 75p to 85p, first-class from GBP1.25 to GBP1.35, and international letters from GBP2.20 to GBP2.50.
SOME LINKS from the _Ansible_ home page.
The 2023 Hugo Awards: A Report on Censorship and Exclusion
https://file770.com/the-2023-hugo-awards-a-report-on-censorship-and-exclusion/
Bram Stoker Awards finalists
https://www.thebramstokerawards.com/front-page/the-2023-bram-stoker-awards-final-ballot/
BSFA Awards finalists
https://www.bsfa.co.uk/bsfa-awards-shortlist
Camestros Felapton: 'Hugo 2023: Here is what I think happened'; also, Worldcon 2036!
https://camestrosfelapton.wordpress.com/2024/02/16/hugo-2023-here-is-what-i-think-happened/
https://camestrosfelapton.wordpress.com/2024/02/17/worldcon-2036-timothy-saves-the-day/
_Locus_ Recommended Reading List for 2023
https://locusmag.com/2024/02/2023-recommended-reading-list/
Samantha Mills: "'Rabbit Test' unwins the Hugo"
https://samtasticbooks.com/2024/02/17/rabbit-test-unwins-the-hugo/
Christopher Priest (1943-2024): _SF Encyclopedia_ links
https://sf-encyclopedia.com/news/christopher_priest
Brian Stableford (1948-2024); charity fundraiser in his memory
https://sf-encyclopedia.com/news/brian_stableford
https://justgiving.com/team/stablefordtribute
THOG'S GOLDEN OLDIES from _Ansible_ 200, March 2004. _Tone of Voice Dept._ '"What is it, Arthur?" Admiral Greer asked, wearing a cheap golf shirt.' (Tom Clancy, _Red Rabbit_, 2002)
_Purple Passage Dept._ '... in the blood of stainless childhood the leprous limbs of phosphorescent Lilith were laved.' (H.P. Lovecraft, 'The Horror At Red Hook', January 1927 _Weird Tales_)
_Ansible_(R) 440 (C) David Langford, 2024. Thanks to Douglas A. Anderson, John Clute, _File 770_, Paul Di Filippo, C.C. Finlay, Steve Jones, Sharon Lee, Padraig O Mealoid, Murray McLachlan, Farah Mendlesohn, Andrey Meshavkin, James D. Nicoll, Omega, Lawrence Person, Andrew I. Porter, Adam Roberts, Steven H Silver, Katy Stableford, Mariano Villarreal Gonzalez, Andrew Wells, Mark Young and as always our Hero Distributors: Durdles Books (Birmingham SF Group), SCIS/Prophecy and Alan Stewart (Australia).
1 March 2024
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