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11.11.02

Yet another example of how others categorize us: 'Science-fiction films can usually be separated into two sub genres: horror and fantasy.' (Text explaining the nature of sf, from DVD edition of Sphere.)

People. Charles Sheffield (1935-2002), British-born physicist, science writer, and noted hard sf author, died on 2 November; he had undergone surgery for brain cancer in mid-August. He is survived by his wife Nancy Kress, to whom all sympathy. Sheffield famously fictionalized the idea of a space elevator in the same year as Arthur C. Clarke's The Fountains of Paradise, with his independently conceived second novel The Web Between the Worlds (1979). His 1993 novelette 'Georgia on My Mind' won both Hugo and Nebula awards. He will be much missed.

World Fantasy Awards.

  NOVEL Ursula K.Le Guin, The Other Wind.

  NOVELLA S.P.Somtow, 'The Bird Catcher'.

  SHORT Albert E.Cowdrey, 'Queen for a Day'.

  ANTHOLOGY The Museum of Horrors ed. Dennis Etchison.

  COLLECTION Nalo Hopkinson, Skin Folk.

  ARTIST Allen Koszowski.

  SPECIAL/PROFESSIONAL (tie) Stephen Jones, Jo Fletcher (both for editing).

  SPECIAL/NON-PROFESSIONAL Raymond Russell & Rosalie Parker (Tartarus Press).

  LIFE ACHIEVEMENT George Scithers, Forrest J Ackerman.

Andre Norton was 'gravely ill' in hospital after surgery in October, and though now improving needs cheering up. Cards, letters or flowers can be sent to 114 Eventide Drive, Murfreesboro, TN 37130, USA; friends will take them to her.

Lydia Marano Cover and Arthur Byron Cover announce that their 21-year-old sf bookshop 'Dangerous Visions' (in Sherman Oaks, California) will close for the last time on 10 Nov — but business continues on-line at http://www.readsf.com/.

R.I.P. André de Toth (1913-2002), Hungarian-born director, died on 27 October at age 89. His House of Wax (1953) was the first 3D horror film, an effect which — having only one eye — he couldn't see. Nathan Juran (1907-2002), Austrian-born US director who won an Oscar for non-genre art direction and later did much B-movie sf and horror, died on 1 November. His films included The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, with Ray Harryhausen's legendary special effects, and Attack of the 50-Foot Woman (both 1958). Raymond T. McNally (1931-2002), Dracula scholar and co-author with Radu Florescu of In Search of Dracula (1972) and In Search of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde (2001), died on 2 October aged 71. Jonathan Harris (1920-2002), US actor famed in sf circles as Dr Zachary Smith in Lost in Space (CBS 1965-8; 'Oh, the pain…'), died on 3 November aged 81.

Thog's Masterclass. Dept of Versatile Organs. 'His nose wrinkled at the smell of blood and sought permission to cover the body with a sheet.' (Peter Tremayne, 'Methought You Saw A Serpent', in Shakespearean Detectives ed. Mike Ashley, 1998)

 


David Langford is an author and a gentleman. His newsletter, Ansible, is the essential SF-insider sourcebook of wit and incongruity. He lives in Reading, England with his wife Hazel, 25,000 books, and a few dozen Hugo awards. He continues to add books and Hugos.

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