Sunday, August 28, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
2011 Hugo and Campbell Awards winners
Winners for the Hugo Awards and for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer were announced at a ceremony during Renovation, the 69th World Science Fiction Convention, held in Reno, Nevada, August 17-21, 2011. It had a record setting number of voting members..
Another win for Connie Willis, my choice tho was Lois McMaster Bujold's Cryoburn another Miles Vorkosigan escapade.
Hooray! Worldcon 2013 is in San Antonio Texas!!!
BEST NOVEL
- Blackout/All Clear, Connie Willis (Spectra)
- Cryoburn, Lois McMaster Bujold (Baen)
- Feed, Mira Grant (Orbit)
- The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit)
- The Dervish House, Ian McDonald (Pyr; Gollancz)
- The Lifecycle of Software Objects, Ted Chiang (Subterranean)
- ‘‘The Maiden Flight of McCauley’s Bellerophon’’, Elizabeth Hand (Stories)
- ‘‘The Sultan of the Clouds’’, Geoffrey A. Landis (Asimov’s 9/10)
- ‘‘Troika’’, Alastair Reynolds (Godlike Machines)
- ‘‘The Lady Who Plucked Red Flowers beneath the Queen’s Window’’, Rachel Swirsky (Subterranean Summer 2010)
- ‘‘The Emperor of Mars’’, Allen M. Steele (Asimov’s 6/10)
- ‘‘The Jaguar House, in Shadow’’, Aliette de Bodard (Asimov’s 7/10)
- ‘‘Plus or Minus’’, James Patrick Kelly (Asimov’s 12/10)
- ‘‘Eight Miles’’, Sean McMullen (Analog 9/10)
- ‘‘That Leviathan, Whom Thou Hast Made’’, Eric James Stone (Analog 9/10)
- ‘‘For Want of a Nail’’, Mary Robinette Kowal (Asimov’s 12/10)
- ‘‘Ponies’’, Kij Johnson (Tor.com 11/17/10)
- ‘‘Amaryllis’’, Carrie Vaughn (Lightspeed 6/10)
- ‘‘The Things’’, Peter Watts (Clarkesworld 1/10)
- Chicks Dig Time Lords: A Celebration of Doctor Who by the Women Who Love It, Lynne M. Thomas & Tara O’Shea, eds. (Mad Norwegian)
- Robert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue with His Century: Volume 1 (1907-1948): Learning Curve, William H. Patterson, Jr. (Tor)
- The Business of Science Fiction: Two Insiders Discuss Writing and Publishing, Mike Resnick & Barry N. Malzberg (McFarland)
- Writing Excuses, Season 4, Brandon Sanderson, Jordan Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Dan Wells
- Bearings: Reviews 1997-2001, Gary K. Wolfe (Beccon)
- Girl Genius, Volume 10: Agatha Heterodyne and the Guardian Muse, Phil & Kaja Foglio; art by Phil Foglio (Airship Entertainment)
- The Unwritten, Vol. 2: Inside Man, Mike Carey; art by Peter Gross (Vertigo)
- Grandville Mon Amour, Bryan Talbot (Dark Horse)
- Schlock Mercenary: Massively Parallel, Howard Tayler (Hypernode)
- Fables: Witches, Bill Willingham; art by Mark Buckingham (Vertigo)
- Inception
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
- How to Train Your Dragon
- Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
- Toy Story 3
- Doctor Who: ‘‘The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang’’
- Doctor Who: ‘‘A Christmas Carol’’
- Doctor Who: ‘‘Vincent and the Doctor’’
- Fuck Me, Ray Bradbury
- The Lost Thing
- Lou Anders
- Ginjer Buchanan
- Moshe Feder
- Liz Gorinsky
- Nick Mamatas
- Beth Meacham
- Juliet Ulman
- Sheila Williams
- John Joseph Adams
- Stanley Schmidt
- Jonathan Strahan
- Gordon Van Gelder
- Shaun Tan
- Daniel Dos Santos
- Bob Eggleton
- Stephan Martiniere
- John Picacio
- Clarkesworld
- Interzone
- Lightspeed
- Locus
- Weird Tales
- The Drink Tank
- Banana Wings
- Challenger
- File 770
- StarShipSofa
BEST FAN WRITER
- Claire Brialey
- James Bacon
- Christopher J Garcia
- James Nicoll
- Steven H Silver
- Brad W. Foster
- Randall Munroe
- Maurine Starkey
- Steve Stiles
- Taral Wayne
- Lev Grossman
- Saladin Ahmed
- Lauren Beukes
- Larry Correia
- Dan Wells
Sci Fi/ Fantasy Illustration: Chesley Awards Winners 2011
2011 Chesley Awards Winners
(Named after illustrator Chesley Bonestell, who was known for his space art. To see his work: www.bonestell.org )
2011 Chesley Awards, given by the Association of Science Fiction & Fantasy Artists (ASFA) were announced at Renovation, the 69th Worldcon. Winners are in redBest Cover Illustration – Paperback Book
- Jason Chan, for Geist by Phillipa Ballantine (Ace)
- Volkan Baga, for The Zombies of Oz by Christian Endres (Atlantis)
- Jon Foster, for Dreadnought by Cherie Priest (Tor)
- Todd Lockwood, for The Ragged Man by Tom Lloyd (Pyr)
- Stephan Martiniere, for Ares Express by Ian McDonald (Pyr)
- Anthony Palumbo, for Yarn by Jon Armstrong (Night Shade Books)
- John Picacio, for Elric: Swords and Roses by Michael Moorcock (Del Rey)
- Dan Dos Santos, for Alien Tango by Gini Koch (DAW)
Best Cover Illustration – Hardback Book
- Michael Whelan, for The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (Tor)
- Kinuko Y. Craft, for Midsummer Night by Freda Warrington (Tor)
- Don Maitz, for Blasphemy by Mike Resnick (Golden Gryphon Press)
- Gregory Manchess, for Spectrum 17 by Cathy Fenner & Arnie Fenner, eds. (Underwood)
- John Picacio, for The Waters Rising by Sheri S. Tepper; (Harper Voyager)
Best Cover Illustration – Magazine:
- Nick Greenwood, for Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show (6/10)
- Julie Dillon, for Clarkesworld (9/10)
- David A. Hardy, for Analog (4/10)
- Andrey Lazarev, for Clarkesworld (11/10)
- Sergio Rebolledo, for Clarkesworld (1/10)
- James Ryman, for Heavy Metal (1/10)
Best Interior Illustration:
- Donato Giancola, Middle Earth: Visions of a Modern Myth by Donato Giancola (Underwood)
- Jason Chan, “Vilcabamba” by Harry Turtledove (Tor.com 2010)
- Jon Foster, “Four Horsemen, at Their Leisure” by Richard Parks (Tor.com)
- John Picacio, Elric: Swords and Roses by Michael Moorcock (Del Rey)
- Keith Thompson, Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld (Simon Pulse)
Best Three-Dimensional Art:
- Mark Newman, “Eel Walker”; bronze
- Thomas S. Kuebler, “Scream Queen”; mixed media
- David Meng, “Amphibiana”; mixed media
- Michael Parkes, “The Letter”; bronze
- Jordu Schell, “Ixana”; mixed media
- Vincent Villafranca, “The Dogs of War”; bronze
Best Color Work—Unpublished:
- Julie Dillon, “Planetary Alignment”; digital
- Daren Bader, “Isis”; oil
- David A. Hardy, “Portals to Infinity”; acrylic
- Omar Rayyan, “The Favorite”; oil
- Matthew Stewart, “Waterfall Dragons”; oil
- Raoul Vitale, “Torin’s Quest”; oil
Best Monochrome Work – Unpublished:
- Ian Miller, “Triptych”; ink
- Eric Braddock, “Highborne”; graphite & white charcoal on toned paper
- Anthony Francisco, “Tikbalang”; digital
- Ed Ko, “Drawing for Beautiful Grim”; pencil
- Petar Meseldžija, “UNK!”; pencil
- David Palumbo, “Zombie Girl”; acrylic
- Sam Weber, Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan, promo art for Tor ebook (1/10)
- Bob Eggleton, Dragon’s Domain: The Ultimate Dragon Painting Workshop (Impact)
- Donato Giancola, “St. George and the Dragon”, promo art for Dragon*Con 2010
- Lars Grant-West, “Pact of the Blind”, promo art for IlluXCon 3
- David Palumbo, “Transcend (aka Judgment)”, Heavy Metal tarot card; 2010
Best Gaming-Related Illustration:
- Lucas Graciano, “Amorphous Drake” (Legends of Norrath); Sony Online Entertainment
- Daarken, “Harbor Serpent” (Magic: the Gathering trading card, Magic 2011 core set); Wizards of the Coast
- Kekai Kotaki, “Gaea’s Revenge” (Magic: the Gathering trading card, Magic 2011 core set); Wizards of the Coast
- Howard Lyon, “Eel Umbra” (Magic: the Gathering trading card, “Rise of the Eldrazi” set); Wizards of the Coast
- Matthew Stewart, “Bloodshot Trainee” (Magic: the Gathering trading card, “Scars of Mirrodin” set); Wizards of the Coast
- L. A. Williams, “Maritime Guard” (Magic: the Gathering trading card, Magic 2011 core set); Wizards of the Coast
Best Art Director:
- Jon Schindehette, for Wizards of the Coast
- Lou Anders, for Pyr
- Irene Gallo, for Tor
- William Schafer, for Subterranean
- David Stevenson, for Ballantine Del Rey
Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement:
- Boris Vallejo
- Brom
- Jeffrey/Catherine Jones
- Ian Miller
- Moebius/Jean Giraud
- Darrell K. Sweet
You can see the nominees and winners here:
http://www.tor.com/blogs/2011/08/announcing-the-2011-chesley-award-winners
Thursday, August 18, 2011
The Qwillery: Guest Blog by Jo Anderton & Giveaway - August 18, 2011
The Qwillery: Guest Blog by Jo Anderton & Giveaway - August 18, 2011
Ms. Anderton looks at genrebending .. I for one enjoy it,what do you think.. visit her post .
Ms. Anderton looks at genrebending .. I for one enjoy it,what do you think.. visit her post .
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Dark Tower Still Alive?
NY POST REPORT:
Ron Howard's Ambitious Stephen
King Project Isn't Dead Yet
Ron Howard hasn’t given up on plans for a multimedia Stephen King project, even though Universal bailed out on the plan about a month ago, reportedly due to cost cutting measures by the new owners Comcast.
The director and his producing partner Brian Grazer are looking for another studio for the ambitious adaptation of King’s “Dark Tower,” the New York Post reports.
Grazer told the publication that Howard is "trying to get outside financing to make it, and distribute it through a major."
Javier Bardem remains attached to star in the project as Roland Deschain. Grazer and Howard still envision the project as three movies and a spinoff television show.
Grazer did say that if and when a new studio signs on, the start of work on "Dark Tower" will be pushed back until at least 2012.
Les keep our fingers crossed, I love the books and think Howard and company will do the best job yet of bringing a Stephen King vehicle to the screen.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Stolen Manuscripts
George R.R. Martin, says two signed first season scripts from HBO's "A GAME OF THRONES" sent from Northern Ireland were stolen enroute to the U.S. All that arrived was a battered envelope with a cover letter from producer Dan Weiss. He says the US post office delivered the envelope in a plastic baggie with a pre-printed note apologizing for the "damage". Martin says this was no error in handling. The envelope was torn open at one end and both scripts were gone.
Martin wrote in his blog (not a blog; http://grrm.livejournal.com/) signed final shooting scripts from the show for the episodes "Baelor" and "Fire and Blood" were mailed from Belfast registered and priority, signature required .
The scripts were donated for a WorldCon charity auction, and Martin notes "they would have brought in significant bucks" ." I am putting out the word to all my fans and readers. "Whoever stole these scripts will presumably try and cash in at some point. So if any of you ever see scripts fitting this description turn up on e-bay or one of its competitors, or on some dealers table-- notify me at once, and report the stolen property to whatever local authorities are appropriate. Like Bloodraven I have a thousand eyes and one. So let's keep them peeled"
I for one find this theft reprehensible since the charity auctions at WorldCon and other con's provide help to deserving people.
Its a winner
Just finished "A Dance With Dragons", and I was not disappointed at all with the book. There were unexpected twists and turns,some new players in the game, we got updates on some characters that were left hanging in a "A Feast For Crows", but best of all George R.R. Martin did what he does best, tell a good tale.
At just over a thousand pages the book is not a one day read.. but that's good, you want to savor this story and enjoy it. All in all I say the book is well worth the list price of $35, not that we'll pay that, but I'm saying if I had to pay list price I would not be unhappy that I did.
Mr. Martin, I'm ready for book 6.
At just over a thousand pages the book is not a one day read.. but that's good, you want to savor this story and enjoy it. All in all I say the book is well worth the list price of $35, not that we'll pay that, but I'm saying if I had to pay list price I would not be unhappy that I did.
Mr. Martin, I'm ready for book 6.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
At the halfway point
So far George R.R. Martin does not let me down. I am enjoying "A Dance With Dragons" and finding out what has happened to some characters that got less attention in book 4. The new book is well worth the price, and I even find myself feeling more sympathy towards Danerys. I just hope there are more dragons in the next 500 pages.
Meanwhile at College Humor dot com they've come up with an 8 bit version of the first season of Song of Ice and Fire; A Game of Thrones.
Warning spoilers and may be NSFW:
http://www.collegehumor.com/video/6579356/game-of-thrones-rpg
Meanwhile at College Humor dot com they've come up with an 8 bit version of the first season of Song of Ice and Fire; A Game of Thrones.
Warning spoilers and may be NSFW:
http://www.collegehumor.com/video/6579356/game-of-thrones-rpg
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
I finally got it!
My copy of A Dance With Dragons finally showed up in the post. At over a thousand pages it looks like a daunting read. Fortunately George R.R. Martin has a writing style that caries you along, unlike J.R.R. Tolkien who's writing I find to be somewhat ponderous. I found myself dozing off from time to time while trying to read some of Tolkien's stuff. I'm not saying the man was not a good writer, to the contrary, I've read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings more than once.
So once I finish a long list of honey-do's I shall retire to a quiet corner and see whats shaking in Westros, across the sea and beyond the Wall, I'm sure I'll enjoy it all and be waiting expectantly for book 6, which I hope will get here in less than 5 years, I'm getting too old to wait that long for a book.
So once I finish a long list of honey-do's I shall retire to a quiet corner and see whats shaking in Westros, across the sea and beyond the Wall, I'm sure I'll enjoy it all and be waiting expectantly for book 6, which I hope will get here in less than 5 years, I'm getting too old to wait that long for a book.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
We've lost another talent
Some bad news; Best-selling novelist L.A. Banks died Tuesday morning after battling adrenal cancer.
Banks, 51, was most widely known for her NY Times and USA Today best-selling Vampire Huntress Legend series of novels.
She was diagnosed with late stage adrenal cancer in June and was hospitalized.
For more here's the link to her obit in Locus magazine:
http://www.locusmag.com/News/2011/08/l-a-banks-1959-2011/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
I've read some of her work and enjoyed it.
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