The worse case of parallel evolution
01/01/2009. EDITORIAL. Humans, says Uncle Geoff in his first editorial of the new year, are the worse case of parallel evolution with a limb at each corner and a head at the top instead of up its..

Mark says goodbye to Forrest J. Ackerman, R.I.P
01/01/2009. FEATURE. I guess it is time to say good-bye to Forrest J. Ackerman. I knew that he was very highly regarded among the fans. I just did not realize how many people in how many news media were his fans. I thought there were a few monster geeks like me who knew of him, but I am seeing tributes come from all over the country. Apparently there were legions of us who owe a debt to Forry.

What makes for a good book?
01/01/2009. FEATURE. Uncle Geoff brushes the dust off his volumous collection of science fiction and fantasy novels and asks the question, just what does make for a good book?

Adam Resurrected (Mark's take)
01/01/2009. MOVIE REVIEW. This, says Mark, is a bizarre surreal fantasy involving a man with psychic powers, a German Holocaust death camp, and people who are degraded to live and act like dogs. How does all that fit together? I vote for "not very well." Jeff Goldblum's performance is magnetic, but he has problems with the accent. Paul Schrader directs Noah Stollman's adaptation of Yoram Kaniuk's novel.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Mark's take)
01/01/2009. MOVIE REVIEW. More than just a film, David Fincher's The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button is a genuine accomplishment. It stylistically shows a span of history, carefully orchestrating an evolution of style and mood that tracks the passing years. This, finds Mark, is an intelligent fantasy with a beautifully sustained and intricate attention to tone. Almost certainly this haunting fantasy will be my best film of 2008.

Let the Right One In (Mark's take)
01/01/2009. MOVIE REVIEW. With, believes Mark, marked similarities to Carrie this is a Swedish vampire film. Oskar, the most bullied boy in school, makes friends with a girl who appears to be his own age, but is somehow different. The somehow is that she is a vampire, living a life as isolated in her way as Oskar is in his. The two form a bond against a background of vampire-related killings. In spite of the fantasy motif this is a serious film about serious problems.

Ancestral Roots: Modern Living And Human Evolution by Timothy Clack
01/01/2009. pub: Macmillan Science. 400 page illustrated indexed small hardback. Price: £ 15.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-0-230-20182-8.

Awesome Lavratt by Ann Wilkes
01/01/2009. pub: Redwood Writers. 94 page enlarged paperback. Price: $12.99 (US).

Chaos Space (The Sentients Of Orion book 2) by Marianne de Pierres
01/01/2009. pub: Orbit. 393 page paperback. Price: £ 7.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-1-84149-429-6.

Conversions Jan 2009
01/01/2009. A bunch of scifi book conversions from hardback to enlarged to even standard paperback. Hit our search engine to see the original reviews.

Doctor Who: Forty-Five by Mark Morris, Nick Scovell, Mark Michalowski and Steven Hall
01/01/2009. CD. pub: Big Finish ISBN: 978-1-84435-324-8. 120 minute 2 CDs. Price: £14.99 (UK). £12.99 download). cast: Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred and Philip Olivier. False Gods: Benedict Cumberbatch, Lucy Adams, Paul Lincoln, Jon Glover and Paul Lincoln . Order Of Simplicity: Jon Glover, Lucy Adams, Benedict Cumberbatch and Paul Lincoln . Casualties Of War: Paul Reynolds, Linda Marlowe, Beth Chalmers, Beth Chalmers and Andrew Dickens. The Word Lord: Linda Marlowe, Paul Reynolds, Andrew Dickens, Paul Lincoln and Beth Chalmers.

Doctor Who: Skull Of Sobek by Marc Platt
01/01/2009. CD. pub: Big Finish ISBN: 978-1-84435-307-1. 60 minute CD. Price: £10.99 (UK). £ 8.99 download). Cast: Paul McGann, Sheridan Smith, Art Malik, Barbara Flynn, Giles Watling, Sean Biggerstaff, Mikey O'Connor and Katarina Olsson.

Doctor Who Stage Plays: Seven Keys To Doomsday by Terrance Dicks
01/01/2009. CD. pub: Big Finish ISBN: 978-1-84435-374-3. 120 minute CD. Price: £14.99 (UK. Download: £12.99). . stars: Trevor Martin, Charlie Hayes, Joe Thompson, Nicholas Deal, Christine Brennan, Steven Wickham, Paul Thornley and Nicholas Briggs.

Doctor Who: The Companion Chronicles: Empathy Games by Nigel Fairs
01/01/2009. pub: Big Finish. ISBN: 978-1-84435-353-8. 60 minute CD. Price: £8.99 (UK). Download: £7.99). . stars: Louise Jameson and David Warner.

Doctor Who: The Raincloud Man by Eddie Robson
01/01/2009. CD. pub: Big Finish ISBN: 978-1-84435-325-5. 120 minute CD. Price: £ 8.99 (UK). download £ 7.99). . stars: Colin Baker, India Fisher, Anna Hope, Michael Fenton Stevens, Aidan J. David, Octavia Walters, Simon Sherlock, Jeremy James, Steve Hansell and Andrew Dickens.

Doctor Who: Time's Champion by Craig Hinton and Chris McKeon
01/01/2009. pub: Telos. 402 page paperback. Price: £ 8.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-1-84583-999-4.

Dr Who: The Companion Chronicles: Home Truths by Simon Guerrier
01/01/2009. pub: Big Finish. 60 minute CD. Price: £8.99 (UK) Price: £7.99 download. ISBN: 978-1-84435-354-5). . cast: Jean Marsh and Niall Macgregor .

Eagle Rising by David Devereux
01/01/2009. pub: Gollancz. 194 page enlarged paperback. Price: £12.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-0-575-07988-5.

Ender In Exile audio book by Orson Scott Card
01/01/2009. pub: Macmillan Audio. 12 CDs 14 hours. Price: $49.95 (US). ISBN: 978-1-4272-0512-4). read by David Birney, Cassandra Campbell, Emily Janice Card . Orson Scott Card, Gabrielle de Cuir, Kirby Heyborne . Don Leslie, Stefan Rudnicki, Mirron Willis.

Escapement by Jay Lake
01/01/2009. pub: TOR/Forge. 384 page hardback. Price: $25.95 (US), $28.95 (CAN). ISBN: 978-0-7653-1709-4.

From The Notebooks Of Dr. Brain by Minister Faust
01/01/2009. pub: Del Rey/Ballantine Books. 390 page enlarged paperback. Price: $13.95 (US), $17.95 (CAN). ISBN: 0-345-46637-2.

Getting To Know You: Stories by David Marusek
01/01/2009. pub: Del Rey/Ballantine Books. 269 page enlarged paperback. Price: $15.00 (US), $17.00 (CAN). ISBN: 978-0-345-50428-9.

Heretics Of Dune audio book by Frank Herbert
01/01/2009. pub: Macmillan Audio. Price: $59.95 (US). 15 CDs 18.5 hours. ISBN: 978-1-4272-0316-8) . read by Simon Vance, Scott Brick, Katherine Kellgren.

Heroes Volume Two
01/01/2009. (US), $34.99 (CAN). ISBN: 978-1-84586-109-0 (UK), 978-1-4012-1915-3 (US).

House Of Suns by Alastair Reynolds
01/01/2009. pub: Gollancz. 527 page enlarged paperback. Price: £14.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-0-575-08236-6. 476 page hardback. Price: £18.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-0-575-07717-1.

How To Live On Mars: A Trusty Guidebook To Surviving And Thriving On The Red Planet by Robert Zubrin
01/01/2009. pub: Three Rivers Press/Crown Publishing/Random House. 205 page illustrated small enlarged paperback. Price: $13.95 (US), $15.95 (CAN). ISBN: 978-0-307-40718-4.

Interzone # 219 -December 2008
01/01/2009. bi-monthly magazine: UK publisher/editor address: Andy Cox, TTA Press, 5 Martins Lane, Witcham, Ely, Cambridgeshire CB6 2LB. Price: £ 3.75 (UK) $ 7.00(US). ISSN: 0264-3596.

Necrophenia by Robert Rankin
01/01/2009. pub: Gollancz. 410 page enlarged paperback. Price: £12.99 (UK only). ISBN: 978-0-575-08240-3. 410 page hardback. Price: £14.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-0-575-07871-0.

Night Shift (A Jill Kismet Novel) by Lilith SaintCrow
01/01/2009. pub: Orbit. 326 page paperback. Price: £ 6.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-1-84149-706-8.

On Spec: The Canadian Magazine Of The Fantastic vol 20 no.2 # 73 Summer 2008
01/01/2009. magazine: Copper Pig Writers Society. Price: $ 6.95 (CAN). ISSN: 0843-476X. Distributed in Canada by CMPA and the UK by BAR.

Once Upon A Summer Day by Dennis L. McKiernan
01/01/2009. pub: ROC. 367 page hardback. Price: $23.95 (US), $35.00 (CAN). ISBN: 0-451-46012-X.

Orizon: The Flame of the White by Mario Routi
01/01/2009. pub: Livani Publishing. 398 page enlarged paperback. Price: £ 8.99 (UK). ISBN: 960-14-1160-0.

Paul Of Dune by Brian Herbert And Kevin J. Anderson
01/01/2009. pub: TOR/SciFi Channel. 512 page hardback. Price: $27.95 (US), $29.95 (CAN). ISBN: 978-0-7653-1294-5.

PS Showcase #5: Impossibilia by Douglas Smith
01/01/2009. pub: PS Publishing. 109 page hardcover. ISBN 978-1-848630-01-7 (Jacketed hardcover) £25.00 (UK) $37.50 (US) ISBN: 978-1-848630-00-0 £10.00 (UK), $15.00 (US) hardcover.

Spaceship Away Parts 6-10 Summer 2005 - Autumn 2006
01/01/2009. pub: Spaceship Away. Rod Barzilay, 8 Marley Close, Preston, Weymouth, Dorset DT3 6DH, UK. 36-44 page A4 glossy stock magazines. Price: £ 6.99 (UK), 9.00 euro, £10.00 (overseas) each. On subscription, buy 6 and the 7th is for free.

Star Wars: Order 66 by Karen Traviss
01/01/2009. pub: Del Rey/Ballantine Books/Lucas Books. 432 page hardback. Price: $27.00 (US), $32.00 (CAN). ISBN: 978-0-345-50618-4. . pub: Orbit. 467 page paperback. Price: £ 6.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-1-84149-649-8.

Starfist: Firestorm by David Sherman and Dan Cragg
01/01/2009. pub: Del Rey/Ballantine. 295 page hardback. Price: $21.95 (US), $27.95 (CAN). ISBN: 978-0-345-46056-1.

Stargate Atlantis: Zero Point by James Swallow
01/01/2009. CD. pub: Big Finish ISBN: 978-1844353491. 70 minute CD. Price: £ 9.99 (UK). £ 8.99 download). voice: David Nykl.

The Complete Stephen King Universe by Stanley Wiater, Christopher Golden and Hank Wagner
01/01/2009. pub: St. Martin's Griffin Press. 512 page enlarged paperback. Price: $21.95 (US), $28.95 (CAN). ISBN: 0-312-32490-1.

The January Dancer by Michael Flynn
01/01/2009. pub: TOR/Sci Fi Channel. 252 page enlarged paperback. Price: $14.95 (US), $16.95 (CAN). ISBN: 978-0-7653-1817-6.

The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein (SF Masterworks # 72)
01/01/2009. pub: Gollancz. 382 page small hardback. Price: £ 7.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-0-575-08241-0.

The Q Guide To Buffy The Vampire Slayer edited by Gregory L. Norris
01/01/2009. pub: Alyson Books. 188 small softcover. Price: £ 7.99 (UK), $12.95 (US), $15.50 (CAN). ISBN: 978-1-59350-052-8.

The Raven Warrior (The Second Tale Of Guinevere) by Alice Borchardt
01/01/2009. pub: Bantam. 624 page paperback. Price: £ 6.99 (UK). ISBN: 0-553-81513-X.

The Road to Dune audio book by Frank Herbert, Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
01/01/2009. pub: Macmillan Audio. 12 CDs 14 hours. Price: $49.95 (US). ISBN: 978-1-59397-776-4). read by Scott Brick .

The Shadows of Saganami by David Weber
01/01/2009. pub: Baen Publishing Enterprises. 745 page hardback. Price: $25.50 (US). ISBN 0-7434-8852-0.

The Temporal Void (The Void Trilogy book 2) by Peter F. Hamilton
01/01/2009. pub: Pan Macmillan. 746 page hardback. Price: £18.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-1-4050-8883-1. pub: Del Rey/Ballantine. 713 page hardback. Price: $28.00 (US), $33.00 (CAN). ISBN: 978-0-345-49655-3.

The Wall Of America by Thomas M. Disch
01/01/2009. pub: Tachyon. 242 page enlarged paperback. Price: $14.95 (US). ISBN: 978-1-892391-82-7.

The X-Files: I Want To Believe by Max Allan Collins
01/01/2009. pub: Titan. 237 page paperback. Price: £ 6.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-1-84856-066-6.

Walthamstow Central by Ellis Sharp
01/01/2009. pub: Zoilus Press. 279 page enlarged paperback. Price: £ 6.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-1-90287-892-2.

Art by Mark Garlick: Titan arrival

Daily News Updates

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Matt The Eleventh
News comment by GF Willmetts. The BBC announced on Saturday 03 January 2009 that the eleventh lead actor in 'Doctor Who' is to be twenty-six year-old Matt Smith. The way things are going, the thirteenth regeneration won't have been born yet as the Doctor becomes increasingly younger.

Shambling Towards Hiroshima
There's now an online video for James Morrow's new scifi novel Shambling Towards Hiroshima.

The Situation
Jeff VanderMeer's novelette The Situation, from PS Publishing, is now up as a free Adobe PDF file download from Wired.com’s GeekDad site.

Matt Smith is the new Doctor Who
The BBC has told SFcrowsnest that Matt Smith has been cast in the role of the Doctor in the BBC scifi series Doctor Who.

A science fiction calendar
The Website at the End of the Universe is offering its annual science fiction calendar to sci-fi fans as a free PDF download.

Aeon Award for 2009
The new contest for this year's Aeon Award begins January 1st 2009 and ends November 30th 2009. The contest is aimed at promoting new writers and writing in the speculative fiction genres - horror, science fiction, fantasy, and anything in-between.

Lesbian Vampire Killers
Online trailer for a new British comedy horror movie, with the same duo who played Gavin and Smithy from the very amusing UK TV series Gavin and Stacey.

All change at Ticonderoga Online
Web-based scifi magazine Ticonderoga Online has changed its name to Ticon4.

Elastic Press closing its doors
Sci-fi and fantasy small press Elastic Press will be closing to future publications with immediate effect. Their final publication was the Subtle Edens anthology, published on 1st November 2008, and during the course of 2009 they'll slowly be running down the company with the focus on attending conventions to sell their remaining stock.

Arise, Sir Terry
Fantasy author Terry Pratchett joins the somewhat small ranks of speculative fantasy authors who have been knighted (aka AC Clarke RIP).

Next Doctor Who to be revealed on BBC One Saturday 3rd Jan 2009
The BBC has told SFcrowsnest.com that it will reveal the identity of the 11th Doctor on Doctor Who Confidential to be aired on BBC One tomorrow, Saturday 3rd January 2009, at 5.35pm.

Tim Burton's 9
An online trailer for Tim Burton's new animated sci-fi movie, which looks as odd as always. In a parallel reality Earth, humanity has destroyed itself in an endless series of world wars, but the last human scientist creates some genetically engineered sock-puppet sized creatures to be defenders of our legacy. They have to go on a quest hunted by evil droids that have also survived. Elijah Wood stars with an impressive cast.

Paradox
Arcana Studios, Legacy Filmworks and Bron Management are getting together to produce a slate of comic based fantasy and science fiction-based movies. Paradox introduces homicide detective Sean Nault, a cop on a parallel Earth who is investigating a baffling series of murders committed by a means his Earth has never seen before: the power of science. Sean uncovers an apocalyptic plot that will lead him to another dimension and the realisation that, unless he prevents it, both Earths could well be destroyed.

Survivors gets a second series
Survivors, the BBC's post-plague adventure sci-fi series has been recommissioned for a second series.

Neil Gaiman interview
Pádraig Ó Méalóid has interviewed writer Neil Gaiman for the Forbidden Planet International.

Evil Ways
Evil Ways by Justin Gustainis, the second volume in the Quincey Morris Supernatural Investigations series published by Solaris Books, is due for publication on December 30th 2008. The first novel about occult investigator Quincey Morris and his partner, white witch Libby Chastain, Black Magic Woman, was released last January.

Odyssey 2010 guest update
Sci-fi writer Iain M Banks has been added as an additional guest of honour to the Odyssey 2010 science fiction convention while Carlos Ezquerra will be artist guest of honour.

Mars watery past
Researchers using a powerful instrument aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have found a long sought-after mineral on the Martian surface and, with it, unexpected clues to the Red Planet's watery past.

An Estronomicon Xmas
The Christmas Special of PDF fantasy, scifi and horror magazine Estronomicon is now online.

The New Weird
Paul Di Filippo looks at the fantasy sub-genre that is known as the new weird. Anyone for Gormenghast?

Star Trek the widget
There's now an online widget for fans of the upcoming Star Trek reboot movie. Yes, a widget we say!

The Enemy’s Son
Erth Chronicles is a new series from debut author, James Johnson. The first novel, The Enemy’s Son, marks the first entry in a trilogy centred around Pirian Horncastle - a young boy born into a totalitarian state, exiled with his father and forced to face his own destiny.

Anticipation issues 3rd progress report
Anticipation, the 67th World Science Fiction Convention, has just released its third Progress Report online.

Defying Gravity
Ron Livingston (Band Of Brothers etc) is set to star in Defying Gravity, a new TV science fiction drama from James Parriott (of Grey's Anatomy fame) and Michael Edelstein (Desperate Housewives). Defying Gravity was inspired by the BBC's Space Odyssey: Voyage To The Planets, seen on BBC One in 2004. The 13-part scifi thriller begins filming in Canada in January 2009, and will broadcast on BBC Two later next year.

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