September 23, 2005

Who was that masked man? This week, after at least twelve years of untroubled operation, the Ansible archive site at Glasgow University was abruptly closed down by nervous university authorities thanks to a reported threat of legal action. It seems that some American, whose name has not been revealed to me, objects to an unspecified item in issue 181 (August 2002). Who could it possibly be? A kindly sysop has temporarily restored access to the site -- but the offending issue remains barred, except to those who know about the mirror site.... You will hear more of this. milgauss replica

Jonathan Lethem is one of this year's 25 MacArthur Foundation fellows, each to be encouraged in their work by a bounty of $500,000 spread over five years. Certain snide fans suggested that getting out of sf was a smart move for Mr Lethem; this wasn't necessary, though, for our previous MacArthur recipient Octavia Butler.

As Others See Us. Jay R. Ferguson, co-star of the NBC sf series Surface, sings a familiar song: it isn't true science fiction. 'To me, sci-fi is Star Trek or Star Wars ... This is almost like something that could be real.' But as the Sci Fi Wire report continues, he makes a deft comeback: 'When describing the show, Ferguson feels the term "speculative fiction" is more appropriate than science fiction. "To me, even as a sci-fi fan, speculative fiction sounds so much more interesting."' Oh, all right, then....

Stephen King predictably drew the highest bid of $25,100 in an on-line auction of Tuckerization opportunities in forthcoming books: the winner gets to name a character in King's new novel Cell. Other participants familiar in genre circles were 'Lemony Snicket' ($6,350), Peter Straub ($2,125), Jonathan Lethem ($2,025), and Karen Joy Fowler ($1,853.88). A second auction round features Neil Gaiman, last seen trailing some way behind John Grisham. Proceeds go to the First Amendment Project. (SFgate.com story)

J.K. Rowling's phenomenal sales still have the power to surprise us. According to a much-reproduced AP news report on Harry Potter audio downloads, 'Rowling's fantasy series, most recently "Harry Potter and Half-Blood Prince," has sold more than 200 copies worldwide in print editions ...'

Miscellany. End of the Solar System imminent -- only the Weekly World News dares to reveal all. Authors' class action suit against Google: SFWA report. The Serendip Foundation, governing body of the Arthur C. Clarke Award, seeks financial supporters who are offered varying degrees of glory.

Critical Masterclass. '"Day of the Triffids" needs no introduction ... In it, plants from outer space take over the Earth, or try to, quite as convincingly as Wells' Martians.' (P. Schuyler Miller, 'Reference Library', Analog, June 1966)

M. John Harrison's novel Light has won the Tähtivaeltaja Award for best sf book published in Finland in 2004. The Finnish translation Valo is by Hannu Tervaharju.

Thog's Masterclass. Hot and Cold Running Dept. 'Jean-Claude's sex ran over my skin while the fear ran like ice through the rest of me.' (Laurell K. Hamilton, Cerulean Sins, 2003)

David Langford is an author and a gentleman. His newsletter, Ansible, is the essential SF-insider sourcebook of wit and incongruity. His most recent books are The SEX Column and other misprints, collecting ten years of columns and essays for SFX magazine; Different Kinds of Darkness, a new short-story collection of horror, SF, and fantasy; Up Through an Empty House of Stars: Reviews and Essays 1980-2002, 100 pieces of Langfordian genre commentary; and He Do the Time Police in Different Voices, a short-story collection that brings together all of Dave's SF parodies and pastiches. (This is a scary thought. Are you ready to laugh that hard?)

Dave lives in Reading, England with his wife Hazel, 25,000 books, and a couple of dozen Hugo awards. He continues to add books and Hugos.