I never wanted the Fantasy Times to be a plug machine or an advertising haven and I generally don’t try to stroke shows, movies or books. However, if you read the Fantasy Times you MUST watch this.
Dr. Horrible’s sing along blog.
Amazing soundtrack…….
I have received much email asking my take on the Locus Awards hubbaballoo. For those of you who have been napping or just simply not paying attention, here is the link to Neil Clark’s article where he quotes the Locus results explanation. Basically, after the votes were cast, the minds at Locus Magazine decided their subscribers deserved a larger percentage of the votes and thus a stronger voice in the results.
Honestly, I could care less how Locus runs its polls and contests. However, you would think that after all the complaining that has come from the Hugos voting, they would have just sucked it up and waited until next year to change things.
Why the heck would Locus change the weighting system after the voting was concluded?
I really thought it funny that Mark Kelly wrote about the ‘almost disenfranchised’ vote he placed for the Hugo and then the 1/2 voters who don’t subscribe to Locus being actually disenfranchised after the fact.
Two things:
1. Was this really a surprise that more non-subscribers voted than subscribers? Come on, Locus! Even I could see that coming….
2. Which leads me to why? Seriously…why? The only possible answer to change things after the voting closes is that the results concerned them, not the type of voters.
I won’t make an accusation about their motives, but I will criticize their decision to change things now rather than waiting until next year. That only makes sense.
At least to me.
IHG Award Nominations
The International Horror Guild Awards are a juried award to recognize outstanding achievements in the field of Horror and Dark Fantasy. Edward Bryant, Stefan R. Dziemianowicz, Ann Kennedy, and Hank Wagner currently adjudicate. Paula Guran is the award administrator. The awards are overseen by a non-profit corporation, The Mirabundus Project, Inc.
Novel
Grin of the Dark, by Ramsey Campbell
Generation Loss, by Elizabeth Hand
The Missing, by Sarah Langan
Season of the Witch, by Natasha Mostert
The Terror, by Dan Simmons
Fiction Collection
The Imago Sequence and Other Stories, by Laird Barron
Plots and Misadventures, by Stephen Gallagher
Shadows Kith and Kin, by Joe R. Lansdale
Masques of Satan, by Reggie Oliver
Dagger Key and Other Stories, by Lucius Shepard
Long Fiction
Procession of the Black Sloth, by Laird Barron
The Man in the Picture: A Ghost Story, by Susan Hill
Softspoken, by Lucius Shepard
The Scalding Rooms, by Conrad Williams
Mid-Length Fiction
“The Janus Tree,” by Glen Hirshberg
“Lie Still, Sleep Becalmed,” by Steven Duffy
“The Bone Man,” by Fredric S. Durbin
“Closet Dreams,” by Lisa Tuttle
Short Fiction
“Digging Deep,” by Ramsey Campbell
“Honey in the Wound,” by Nancy Etchemendy
“The Tank,” by Paul Finch
“Splitfoot,” by Paul Walther
“The Great White Bed,” by Don Webb
Anthology
Inferno, edited by Ellen Datlow
Summer Chills, edited by Stephen Jones
American Supernatural Tales, edited by S.T. Joshi
Strange Tales Volume II, edited by Rosalie Parker
At Ease with the Dead, edited by Barbara and Christopher Roden
Non-Fiction
Frankenstein: A Cultural History, by Susan Tyler Hitchcock
Mario Bava: All the Colors of Dark, by Tim Lucas
Warnings to the Curious: A Sheaf of Criticism on M.R. James, edited by Rosemary Pardoe & S.T. Joshi
Sides, by Peter Straub
The Science of Stephen King, by Bob Weinberg & Lois M. Gresh
Periodical
Black Static
Dead Reckonings
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
Postscripts
Weird Tales
Illustrated Narrative
Scalped: Indian Country, by Jason Aaron and R.M. Guéra
The Nightmare Factory, by Thomas Ligotti, Joe Harris & Stuart Moore, Ben Templesmith, Michael Gaydos, Colleen Doran & Ted McKeever
The Blot, by Tom Neely
The Arrival, by Shaun Tan
Wormwood Gentleman Corpse: Birds, Bees, Blood & Beer, by Ben Templesmith
Art
Didier Cottier for Exhibit at Utopiales, Nantes, France
David Ho for his body of work
Elizabeth McGrath for “The Incurable Disorder”
Chris Mars for “New Salem”
Mike Mignola for cover & illustrations: Baltimore, or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire
Compiled by the SF Site
If you’re a member of Denvention 3, this year’s World Science Fiction Convention in Denver, please remember to vote — the deadline is THIS MONDAY, JULY 7, 2008, at midnight (end of day) Pacific Time.
Worldcon members can vote online here.
You’ll need your PIN to vote; it’s the same one used to nominate, and should be on mailing labels from the convention. If you can’t find it, send an email with your name, postal address, and phone number to pin@denvention.org and they’ll email your PIN to you.
Denvention members can get free electronic copies of the Hugo nominated novels Rollback by Robert J. Sawyer, Brasyl by Ian McDonald, The Last Colony by John Scalzi, and Halting State by Charles Stross for free here.
Ok, so I’m a bit behind. The editor is coaching his son’s tournament baseball team and the days are full and busy, but fun.
Locus Awards Winners
Winners of this year’s Locus Awards, voted by readers of Locus Magazine in the annual Locus Poll, were were announced this afternoon at the Courtyard Marriott Hotel in Seattle, at an event led by Master of Ceremonies Connie Willis.
Complete results of the Locus Poll will be published in the July issue of Locus Magazine, and will be incorporated into the Locus Index to Science Fiction Awards by the end of the year. Finalists for this year’s awards — the top five ranking items in each category — were announced in April.
JK Rowling gave the commencement address at Harvard University for the class of 2008 much to the chagrin of some of the graduating seniors. NPR has posted the article and the audio of her commencement address for your pleasure. Ms. Rowling spoke about the power of imagination to learn things that you don’t or can’t experience. Responding to some of the criticism about her selection as this year’s commencement speaker Allister Beeson responds:
“That was a terrible thing to say! They’re just a bunch of Muggles!” exclaimed 10-year-old Allister Beeson, borrowing a Hogwart term for ordinary folks who don’t benefit from the gift of magic.
Beeson was one of many young people in the audience who skipped school to hear Rowling. He came in a Harry Potter Halloween costume, all the way from New York. He says Harvard seniors who have a problem with Rowling are actually the ones with the problem. He says they simply lack common sense.
BAHAHAHA! Who is lacking common sense? Perhaps the parents of young Mr. Beeson?
Here we go again. The age old question about awards has been brought up again… Science Fiction Awards Watch has a great piece in response to this article. Although they may be a bit biased (their name kind of tells where their hearts lie), they have listed a very funny template for award haters.
Now, I would add that awards don’t sell books anyway argument. I agree to a large extent that there are too many awards, but leave the oft repeated power point bulletins with the compost. Nice work, SFA Watch.
“They spoke of revolution this weekend at BookExpo America, of changing how we read and how we shop.”
Revolution. I actually started laughing when I read this line. This is an excerpt from the AP story about BookExpo America, known as the convention of the American Booksellers Association. Think CES for books. No really innovative news coming out of this conference other than the extensive talk about making the publishing business more ‘green’ by using more recycled paper and such. One initiative that I am interested in is Net Galley, apparently a way for publishers to get ARC’s out without wasting the paper.
It was interesting watching the debate about independent booksellers and Amazon’s big push toward Kindle. It really boiled down to how people read books today, by paper or by pixel. Myself, there is nothing like carrying a book around to open for a few pages at a pop while at the doctor or waiting in the drive thru. I would guess most people are in this same mindset. It’s difficult to get an e-book reader and take it to the John with you for fear you might drop it. Books are just nice to have around.
The American Booksellers Association is pushing an initiative to try to get independent books stores a little more help. It is basically a corny marketing ploy that will have little to no impact. People buy books where it’s convenient…whether it’s Barnes and Noble or the corner book store. In the end, the price is usually the determining factor.
Nice try, though….Revolution **shakes head**
As posted on Mythadventures, Robert Aspirin has passed away. His unique blend of humor and storytelling will be greatly missed.
A MUST read. Read the review.
