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“Fantasy
is the impossible made probable. Science fiction is the improbable
made possible."
- Rod Serling (The Twilight Zone).
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Issue 170
January 2008
December 2007 circulation was: 701,831 readers, who read 2.29
million articles, generating 39.4 million hits.
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January 2008 FEATURES
I
Am Legend (Mark's take)
MOVIE REVIEW. Richard Matheson's classic horror
novel I Am Legend comes to the screen with CGI and lots of guns, most
of which - says Mark - work against rather than for the story. Will Smith
plays Robert Neville robbed of most of his anguish and his advancing madness.
Some of the visual images are nice, but this is a story that needs to
be made on a low budget to really work.
Not
quite human
COMMENT. With the release of Beowulf, says Mark,
we got a chance to see how far the film industry has gotten in the realistic
depiction of humans in animation. I thought it was just a little off of
being realistic and they reminded me of the way humans looked in Shrek.
Sweeny
Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Mark's take)
MOVIE REVIEW. Sweeny Razorhands. One of Broadway's
best and most controversial musicals comes to the screen as a vehicle
for the Tim Burton and Johnny Depp team. This version glories in the gory,
says Mark. Depp's singing limitations rob the character of Sweeney of
his all-important contagious savage fury. Burton shows the audience a
lot that could not be shown on stage, not all of which was a good idea
to show.
The
Orphanage (Mark's take)
MOVIE REVIEW. Juan Antonio Bayona's Spanish-language
film The Orphanage is a very intense ghost story, says Mark, expertly
filmed, but the writing lets down the rest of the film. There are bits
from several successful horror films, especially Poltergeist, rehashed
here. Guillermo del Toro's name is shown prominently as presenter and
producer, but The Orphanage is really not in his class. The film is competently
made, but it just does not have enough that will not be already familiar
to the viewer.
The
Shadow In The North
INTERVIEW. Philip Pullman and Billie Piper talk
about the Sally Lockhart books and the BBC TV series based on them. In
The Shadow In The North, an elderly lady loses her money on an investment,
a conjuror is pursued by thugs, a clairvoyant sees a brutal murder in
a forest, a glass coffin then whispers the name of the richest man in
Europe. These seemingly unconnected events set Sally Lockhart on the trail
of an evil far more awful than she could ever imagine – the Hopkinson
Self-Regulator – a super-weapon in the hands of a Scandinavian madman
Axel Bellmann.
Fantastic
Women: Rachel Caine
INTERVIEW. Author Rachel Caine on why speculative
fiction has always been her first love, the lousy hours and stress of
being a writer, and her Weather Warden series of novels. Rachel is interviewed
by fantasy writer Karen Miller, author of works such as Kingmaker and
Kingbreaker.
Fantastic
Women: Lois McMaster Bujold (Part I)
INTERVIEW. Author Lois McMaster Bujold on the universe
and times of Miles Vorkosigan, her start as a writer, and how for her,
making up the story and writing down the story are two separate activities.
Lois is interviewed by fab fantasy writer Karen Miller.
Fantastic
Women: Glenda Larke
INTERVIEW. Author Glenda Larke on her exotic life,
the Random Rain Quartet, reading Guy Gavriel Kay for atmosphere and story
skills, and having a slap-up feed before starting work. Glenda is interviewed
by Karen Miller, herself a fantasy author of works such as Kingmaker and
Kingbreaker.
Bloggers
of the SFFphere Part II
ROUNDTABLE. The second part of the roundtable where
Aidan Moher, the creator of A Dribble of Ink, goes ahead and gathers several
his favourite bloggers, ties them up in a room, and picks their brains.
SFF bloggers spend so much time putting the minds of authors under the
knife that Aidan thought it would be interesting to take a look at another
side of the industry that doesn’t get examined.
Science
fiction: the other god that failed
FEATURE. Science fiction, it is often plausibly
argued, is a literature about technology and what it does to humans. But
what if this view of the genre is wrong? What if science fiction (SF)
is not really about technology at all but something else. What if SF is
at its core a religious genre, a literature about the search for transcendent
meaning in a post-Christian world?
I
am not Legend
COMMENT. I am Legend was a brilliant book says fantasy
author Joe Abercrombie, but you really need to forget all about it if
you watch the new Will Smith movie based on that novel. The studio seems
intent on simplifying, schmaltzifying, and dumbing this film down more
than ever.
Terry
Goodkind interviewed
INTERVIEW. Why fantasy author Terry's earliest memories
are of telling himself stories, why he will sometimes spend half a day
on one paragraph, the tight schedule for his last book in the Sword of
Truth series, and why the fantasy elements of his books are no more important
than the romance, the intrigue, the political maneuvering and the historical
fiction elements.
God
of the Slushpile: John Joseph Adams interviewed
INTERVIEW. John Ottinger, best known for his great
blog Grasping for the Wind, was fortunate enough to strike up a correspondence
with John Joseph Adams slush editor with The Magazine of Fantasy and Science
Fiction (F&SF). Well known for his ability to find gems in piles of slush,
Adams was recently guest editor of the Pirate Issue of Shimmer Magazine,
and will be publishing his first anthology, Wastelands, with Night Shade
Books in January 2008. In the following interview he discusses these two
works as well as recommends some of his favorite short fiction authors.
Magic
engines
FEATURE. Blogger and owner of The Shape of Days,
Jeff Harrell, is not going to mince words here: this article is nerdy.
It’s incredibly nerdy. You know all those web sites out there that are
really, really nerdy? With the exception of the ones about Japanese cartoons,
this post is nerdier than all of them combined. Jeff looks at the magic
engines of the Battlestar Galactica and finds all sorts of implausibilities.
The
Wright stuff
INTERVIEW. Science Fiction & Fantasy writer John
C. Wright is well-known for his epic space opera trilogy, and more recently,
for his fantasy adventure novels. Avi Abrams, ace blogger at Dark Roasted
Blend, was curious about John's take on the state of fantastic adventure
fiction today and asked him a few questions about his life, work and appearance
in the original anthology of military science fiction Breach the Hull.
Libertine
Rush - Domino Dynamo
SHORT FICTION. A new Psi-Kicks story introducing
Libertine Rush – the lady from Haiti with the interesting dead brother.
From the pen and twisted imagination of one G.F. Willmetts.
More
articles ...
Got an article
for us? Send your submissions to articles@sfcrowsnest.com

REVIEWS January 2008
A
Brief History Of The Future by Oona Strathern
Beck
Vol 1 Episodes 1-5
Books
in different formats and countries
Doctor
Who: Mother Russia by Marc Platt
Dragon
Harper by Anne McCaffrey and Todd McCaffrey
Dune
by Frank Herbert
Grave
Sight by Charlaine Harris
Heroes
Volume One by Michael Turner, Phil Jiminez and Tim Sale
I
Am Legend by Richard Matheson
Imaginistix
by Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell
Inside
Straight (A Wild Cards novel) edited by George R.R. Martin
Jack
Of Fables 2: Jack Of Hearts by Bill Willingham, Matthew Sturges, Tony
Atkins and Steve Leialoha
Modesty
Blaise: Death Trap by Peter O'Donnell and Enric Badia Romero
Philosophy
And Science Fiction edited by Michael Philips
Scar
Night (Book One of The Deepgate Codex) by Alan Campbell
Shazam!
The Monster Society Of Evil by Jeff Smith
Smallville
Season 5 The Official Companion by Craig Byrne
Star
Trek: Vulcan's Soul Book 3: Epiphany by Josepha Sherman and Susan Shwartz
Star
Trek: Vulcan's Soul: Exiles book 2 by Josepha Sherman and Susan Shwartz
Stargate
SG-1 Season 10 The Illustrated Companion by Natalie Barnes with Sharon
Gosling
The
Armies Of Memory by John Barnes
The
Art Of Bryan Talbot by Bryan Talbot
The
Spirit by Darwyn Cooke with J. Bone (inker) and Dave Stewart (colours)
Third
Dimension: The Unofficial And Unauthorised Guide To Doctor Who 2007 by
Stephen James Walker
Triquorum
One: an anthology by John Grant, Allen Ashley and Lavie Tidhar
True
Deception by Patricia Waddell
Wonder
Woman: Love And Murder by Jodi Picoult, Terry Dodon, Drew Johnson and
Paco Diaz
Stephen
Hunt's
The Court of the Air
A
fantastical tale of high adventure, low-life rogues and orphans
on the run.
NEW
- Tor's U.S. edition hardcover - Amazon
USA |
HARDBACK
OUT NOW
Get
your hardback copy from: Amazon
UK | Amazon
Canada | Amazon
Japan | Amazon
USA
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PAPERBACK
OUT NOW
Get
your paperback copy from:
Amazon
UK | Amazon
Canada | Amazon
Japan |
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"An
inventive, ambitious work, full of wonders and marvels."
The Times: April 7, 2007 (Review:
Hardback edition, The Court of the Air)
"Hunt
can take his place alongside such eminent Magratheans as JRR Tolkien,
Mervyn Peake and China Mieville. Creating a fully-realised other-world
which feels new and different, yet cohesive and believable is half
the battle in a fantasy novel, and it is a battle Hunt wins with
honours... Hunt's world is so rich and colourful it keeps you engrossed
... It's a confident audacious novel."
SFX: December 2007 (Review:
Hardback edition, The Court of the Air)
"The
book starts out as a fantasy but moves into the rollicking adventure
stories in the fashion of Kipling. It reminds me a little of the
joyousness of Perdido Street Station and the uncertainties of Pullman’s
His Dark Material trilogy. Hunt moves the story along with verve
and creates a believable underbelly which writhes and squirms. The
devil is in the detail and here Hunt excels delivering a rattling
yarn without ladening the reader with exceptional detail or ordure."
Iain Emsley - Yatterings.com (Review:
Hardback edition, The Court of the Air)
"The
characters are convincing and colourful, but the real achievement
is the setting, a hellish take on Victorian London where grim, steam-driven
machines work beside citizens with magical powers. The Court of
the Air is aimed at young adults, but the depth and complexity of
Hunt's vision makes it compulsive reading for all ages."
The Guardian: April 21st 2007 (Review:
Hardback edition, The Court of the Air)
"Creatures
of magic movie in an industrialised landscape; mechanical men with
souls appear in Punch-style political cartoons. He creates a fantasy
world that's low on cliché, splicing trad fantasy with steampunk
and a touch of Philip Pullman...with pace, detail, and the pleasure
of its sheer scale."
Death Ray: Issue 1. December 2007
(Review: Hardback edition, The Court of the Air)
"Hunt
tells his full-blooded tale with lip-smacking relish, revealing
a vivid, often gruesome imagination. The Court of the Air brims
with originality and, from the first, its chase-filled plot never
lets up."
Starburst:
Issue 350. December 2007 (Review: Hardback
edition, The Court of the Air)
'A crossover
title in the vein of Philip Pullman … more straightforward
and much easier to read than Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell …
a genuinely engaging read, which has believable characters in a
fantastic setting. The Dickensian references are a big selling point…
It’s an intriguing and original idea which the author has
managed to pull off rather well.’
The Bookseller: Bookseller’s Choice for April
2007 (Review:
Hardback edition, The Court of the Air)
‘Hold
on to your hat for a frenetic ride through a fantastic world that
is a mind-boggling and hypnotic mixture of the familiar and the
bizarre… The Court of the Air is a tour de force of the imagination.
Fast paced with a cast of interesting and beguiling characters.’
The
Newcastle Herald (Australia)
(Review:
Export edition, The Court of the Air)
‘Wonderfully
assured … Hunt knows what his audience like and gives it to
them with a sardonic wit and carefully developed tension’
Time Out: August 2007 (Review: Paperback
edition, The Court of the Air)
'Fast-paced
and accelerating all the way, the story rewards reading with close
attention, to the intricacies of the plot, to the creativity in
world-building and language which makes this world both readily
comprehensible and yet enthrallingly strange.'
Albedo One: Ireland's magazine of science fiction,
fantasy and horror. Issue 33. (Review: Paperback
edition, The Court of the Air)
|
More
reviews ...
Got a book review
for us? Send your submissions to reviews@sfcrowsnest.com

The
SF community & black kettles
Science fiction, says Uncle Geoff, is a genre to be proud to say you belong
to and a measure of eccentricity to be healthy with than to be without.
It doesn’t bite or scare or hurt anyone except in the content of what
you watch or read and there are so many more of us today that it no longer
a dirty word. Be proud.
Do you like
curling up and reading a book?
Do you have a preference
for fantasy, SF or horror? Do you find it the greatest pastime you have
next to being on your computer?Are you very vocal about what you like
and don’t like in what you read? Would you like to share your thoughts
with others about books? Would you like an endless supply of books to
do this with? Do you live in the UK?
If you’ve been
nodding your head up to this point then link in below and see if you have
what it takes to be a reviewer at SFCrowsnest. If you have that special
knack to read and write or want to develop said skill then the only way
you’re going to find out is to take the plunge yourself rather than
wait for others to do it first. It’s got to be better than waiting
for the sun to come out. Check out our recruitment procedures
through the following
link and let me decide if you have what it takes ... gfwillmetts@hotmail.com
January 2008 DAILY
NEWS UPDATES
J
Lawrence (Larry) Cassingham dies
Cassingham was the technical advisor on various scifi TV shows from the
sixties and fifties such as the Atomic Kid and Magnetic Monster.
The
Velvet Glove
There's a new episode of the downloadable Time Traveler Show which features
SFF author Harry Harrison's The Velvet Glove.
Knight
Rider
A short teaser trailer for the Knight Rider remake. And will sir be requiring
cheese with that?
Richard
Branson: King of the Muppets?
The honourees for the 2007 Jim Henson Honours were announced by the Jim
Henson Company. The 2007 Jim Henson honourees include Richard Branson,
British Entrepreneur, for conquering space, and Neil Gaiman, fantasy writer,
for, umm, writing some fantasy.
Hancock
Sounds like a British 1950s comedian? Nope, a little more than a half-hour
with this one ... it's a trailer for a new superhero comedy movie where
Will Smith plays a vagrant down-and-out Superman-type being.
Coraline
Trailer for an animated movie based on Neil Gaimen's Coraline. One for
the kids.
Hellboy
II
The next online trailer for the movie Hellboy II the Golden Army. The
big red demon thing that works for the US secret service returns to kick
demonic butt again. Looks fun.
The
Signal
Trailer for the film The Signal. Looks like a horror/scifi affair with
a signal from a TV set creating monsters in the US. Like the film says
in it's blurb, no one escapes The Signal.
Dark
Charismatic
The latest client of the John Jarrold Literary Agency is UK fantasy and
horror novelist Rod Rees. His novel Dark Charismatic is set in the London
of 1878, this is a reworking of the Jekyll & Hyde story, told through
the eyes of Henry Jekyll’s cold, aloof and religious wife, Margaret.
Torchwood
season II
A new trailer for the second series of the Dr Who TV spin-off, Torchwood,
hits the virtual streets.
The
Tomorrow People run out of future
Season six of the Tomorrow People audio dramas has had to be cancelled
by British audio publisher Big Finish. This was due to ongoing license
negotiations. Seasons one to five will remain available at a discounted
rate until 7th January 2008 at which point the entire series will be permanently
removed from sale. Tomorrow People was one of the classic UK sci-fi TV
series from the 1970s.
Happy-slapping
the Earth
The incredible amount of forest devastation at Tunguska a century ago
in Siberia may have been caused by an asteroid only a fraction as large
as previously published estimates, suggests a new supercomputer simulation
from the Sandia National Laboratories.
Snogger
Who
The Doctor gets up close and personal with his Christmas companion, Astrid
Peth, in the Doctor Who 2007 Christmas special, Voyage Of The Damned,
on BBC One. Well, it's Kylie. I'd snog her, and I'm a girl. Who needs
Dr Who SlashFic when you've got Russell T Davies on the job?
Double
Hobbit movies to be made by PJ
Peter Jackson, MGM and New Line Cinema told the Nest that they are now
to produce two films, The Hobbit and a sequel to The Hobbit (doh). New
Line will distribute in North America and MGM will distribute internationally.
Jackson and New Line told SFcrowsnest that they have settled their legal
battle over the money from the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy.
New
Wall-E trailer
There's a new trailer for Pixar's animated movie about the last robot
left on an ecologically ravaged Earth. Ah, sweet.
Cometh
the Death Star
A powerful jet from a super massive black hole is blasting a nearby galaxy,
according to new findings from NASA observatories. This never-before witnessed
galactic violence may have a profound effect on planets in the jet's path
and trigger a burst of star formation in its destructive wake.
The
Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian
The second trailer for the next movie in the Narnia Trilogy. It might
be Xmas humbug, but this one is strictly just for the kids.
10,000
BC
Trailer for a silly fantasy movie about the life and times of an ace mammoth
hunter. The Flintstones was more accurate than this nonsense. Where's
Raquel Welsh when you need her?
Dante
01
Nice-looking trailer for a new French science fiction movie. Mais nous
ne parlons pas français. Pitié. Let's hope the DVD comes with subtitles.
Startrek.com
given a photon torpedo through the heart
The web site www.StarTrek.com - once one of the most visited scifi sites
in the world (when Trek was still running) is being closed down now there's
no active TV franchise to support it's existence.
Batman
II
The latest trailer for the new Batman movie with the return of the Joker.
Why so glum? Ya-ha-ha.
Monsters
in clover
A new trailer for the movie Cloverfield from that bloke wot did Lost.
Aliens invade New York and cause trouble, with the movie being shot Blair
Witch style from people's mobile phones and camcorders.
Tor-medous
Airlie Lawson and Tara Hiatt, Rights Directors at HarperCollins in London,
have confirmed a major two-book deal with Claire Eddy of Tor Books in
New York, to publish The Court Of The Air by Stephen Hunt, and his follow-up
fantasy novel, The Kingdom Beyond the Waves.
Bengal
Station
UK scifi publisher Solaris have bought three Bengal Station novels from
science fiction author Eric Brown. Necropath, Xenopath and Cosmopath feature
Jeff Vaughan, a telepath employed by the spaceport on Bengal Station,
a vast twenty-level city-port that dominates the ocean between India and
Burma.
Penelope
Details of a new fantasy movie called Penelope. Set in the modern day,
the tale of Penelope (Christina Ricci) did not start well, her beauty
transformed by an evil spell. To the world outside the news was big, a
poor little girl, with the nose of a pig. How to break the curse? Well
a handsome prince has to be made to propose.
Alethea
is Hungry
Alethea Eason's debut young-adult science fiction novel, Hungry, has been
published by HarperCollins under its US Eos imprint.
Aliens
vs. Predator Requiem megatrailer
More than a trailer, this is the first actual five minutes of the new
movie Aliens vs. Predator Requiem. Lots of action on board a crashing
predator starship and a SOS being sent out. The bad news is that they're
all heading for Earth.
Lost:
Fourth Season
Online trailer for the new season of the TV series Lost. Just what the
heck is going on out there on that island?
Terry
Pratchett suffering from Alzheimers
Bestselling fantasy author Terry Pratchett, creator of the intelligent
and greatly humanitarian Discworld series of novels, has sadly been diagnosed
with a variant of the disease Alzheimers.
Spellcrackers.com
Science fiction agent to the stars John Jarrold has sold world rights
in three supernatural thrillers by Suzanne MacLeod, a debut novelist,
to Jo Fletcher at British publisher Gollancz for a decent five-figure
sum in UK pounds.
Wenger
is the new emperor of Dr Who
BBC Wales has said that Piers Wenger is to take over the reins as Executive
Producer for Doctor Who's fifth series when Julie Gardner leaves that
role in January 2009.
Tolkien
for the wealthy
The Children of Hurin collector’s edition has just been launched,
signed and numbered by both Christopher Tolkien and Alan Lee. There are
only 500 available, priced at £350 each.
Whip
crack away
USA today reveals what the new Indiana Jones movie is going to contain.
The basic plot of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is
Indy going up against Stalin's agents in the 1950s to get an ancient crystal
skull made by an advanced technology - either Atlantis or alien.
Wheel
of Time to be finished by author Brandon Sanderson
US science fiction and fantasy publisher Tor Books has said that scifi
novelist Brandon Sanderson has been chosen to finish the final novel in
Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time fantasy series. Jordan died September 16th
2007 after a battle with the blood disease amyloidosis. As RJ wrote himself,
The Wheel of Time turns and ages come and pass. What was, what will be,
and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow. Let the Dragon ride again
on the winds of time?
Speed
Racer
He's going to be the best... if they don't destroy him first. New trailer
for the Speed Racer flick, courtesy of the Wachowski - a la Matrix - brothers.
Looks fun and colorful, if a little light.
Inkheart
Trailer for a forthcoming fantasy movie that revolves around a father's
ability to read a book and allow the people in it to cross into the real
world. There's one book he really shouldn't have read. Gulp.
All
change at Orbit
Lots of changes going on over at British science fiction imprint Orbit
and the Little, Brown Book Group.
Fancy
a finger?
Director Tim Burton is bringing Stephen Sondheim’s musical thriller
to the big screen with Johnny Depp as the eponymous Demon Barber of Fleet
Street, in Sweeney Todd.
Odyssey
Writing Workshop 2008
The 2006 workshop for budding science fiction writers will be held from
June 9th to July 18th at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire,
USA. This year, Odyssey is hosting Nancy Kress as the writer-in-residence.
Author of twenty-three books, including science fiction, fantasy, thrillers,
short story collections, young adult novels, and three excellent books
on writing fiction, she has won three Nebulas and a Hugo for her short
fiction and the John W. Campbell Award for her novel Probability Space.
Shrek
The Halls
The BBC brings Shrek to the small screen in his first Christmas special
for BBC One. BBC One will host the UK premiere of the Shrek The Halls
on Christmas Eve 2007. What's it about? Just when Shrek thought he could
finally sit back, relax and enjoy his happily ever after with his new
family, the most joyous of all holidays arrives. It's Christmas Eve, and
everyone is filled with holiday cheer, except for Shrek. He isn't exactly
the picture of yuletide joy, but for the sake of Fiona and the kids, he
tries to get into the spirit of things as only an ogre can.
Blue
War
In March 2008, Solaris will be releasing the new Punktown novel from Jeffrey
Thomas. Blue War is a science fiction thriller set on a colony world in
another dimension, with blue jungles and exotic cultures. Private investigator
Jeremy Stake is brought in by military leaders to investigate cloned human
remains found in an otherwise empty city, and it leads him into a plot
that could re-ignite an old war between two alien races.
Gusts
of the solar wind
Images from NASA-funded telescopes aboard a Japanese satellite have shed
new light about the sun's magnetic field and the origins of solar wind,
which disrupts power grids, satellites and communications on Earth.
The
mouse that roared
The tiny Isle of Man rushes to reach the moon in a mad bid to claim the
Lunar X-Prize. But does the scientist in charge of the project look like
Peter Sellers?
Tor
makes the manga move
US science fiction publisher Tor Books is getting together with manga
house Seven Seas to form a new manga imprint.
Wanted
(but later)
Universal Pictures has moved the release date of its fantasy-action-thriller
Wanted from spring to summer. The film will now be released on Friday,
June 27th 2008, rather than its former release date of March 28th 2008.
Prince
Caspian
There's a new trailer for the second movie in the Narnia series, Prince
Caspian.
Jane's
dragon is grinning
Weta Productions’ debut television series, Jane and the Dragon,
has been nominated for The Best Animated Television Production at the
35th Annual Annie Awards.
Who
- the heck
Trevor Baxendale, Simon Guerrier and James Swallow. will be signing their
new Doctor Who books at the Forbidden Planet Megastore, 179 Shaftesbury
Avenue, London, WC2 H 8JR, on Saturday 12th January 2008, 1-2pm.
The
Red Wolf Conspiracy
The Red Wolf Conspiracy by Robert V S Redick, the debut novel by a client
of the John Jarrold Literary Agency, has been confirmed as Waterstone’s
Fantasy and SF Book of the Month for February 2008, when it is being published
by Gollancz.
The
Last Enemy
Benedict Cumberbatch and Robert Carlyle head an cast in a near-future
scifi thriller - shades of V for Vendetta - about a man whose search for
the truth about his brother's death catapults him into an international
conspiracy - and a passionate love affair.
Ashes
To Ashes
Gene Hunt is back, bigger and brasher than ever before in the are they-aren't
they cop time traveling TV series - but he's no longer the self-styled
Sheriff of Manchester.
Death
Star support
Ever wanted to know what life in the Death Star's IT department is like?
Muse no more, SFcrowsnest readers, muse no more.
Comet-whipped
A NASA satellite has captured the first images of a collision between
a comet and a solar hurricane.
Apparitions
on the BBC
Martin Shaw (Judge John Deed, George Gently) heads the cast of a two-part
supernatural thriller about an exorcist battling demons in what he discovers
to be the beginning of the End of Days - the final battle of good against
evil.
Big
girls with big guns in Sister Time
The sequel to John Ringo's sci-fi novel Cally's War features the return
of Michelle O'Neal, the first human-Sohon mentat. Sister Time (Baen Books-December
2007) is about life, love and covert operations amongst the universe's
ultimate dysfunctional family.
Torchwood
relegated
Torchwood, the Doctor Who spin-off by writer Russell T Davies, is due
back on the UK's small screen mid-January 2008, this time relegated to
BBC Two.
Extraordinary
Engines
Airships, automatons and aether ... Extraordinary Engines is a new anthology
of original stories featuring a range of Steampunk-inspired stories by
authors including Daniel Abraham, Kage Baker, Stephen Baxter, Beth Bernobich,
Eric Brown, Keith Brooke, Paul Di Filippo, Hal Duncan, Jeffrey Ford, Jay
Lake, Margo Lanagan, James Lovegrove, Ian R. MacLeod, Michael Moorcock,
James Morrow, Kim Newman, Robert Reed, Chris Roberson, Adam Roberts, Lucius
Shepard, Brian Stableford, Jeff VanderMeer and Marly Youman.
Xmas
Ansible
The Christmas issue of British science fiction zine Ansible has just landed
in our email tray. Harlan Ellison is angry. Plus ça change, Mr Langford.
Also, the SFWA attempts to commit public suicide.
Xmas
issue of Clarkesworld
The December issue of Clarkesworld looks good. SFF author Steven Erikson
is
interviewed by Jeff VanderMeer.
Sarah
Connor Chronicles
New trailer for the Terminator TV series - aka the Sarah Connor Chronicles.
The
Night Sessions
Science fiction author Ken MacCleod is working on his new novel, The Night
Sessions, set in a future Scotland.
Got news for us?
Send your press releases to pressreleases@sfcrowsnest.com

One
of the nice things about being online is that SFcrowsnest can publish slightly
off-the-wall material that would never find a home in a highly targeted advertising-ruled
print magazine world. An article we always trot out as an example of this, is
Uncle Geoff's piece about what the heck fuel & engine combination the Thunderbirds
craft might have used in the classic 1960s TV series of the same name. Let's
face it, you're not going to read the likes of that in SFX, Starlog, Starburst,
Interzone or the rest of the printed world! If there's an article inside you -
could be continuity errors in Andromeda, your latest work of short fiction, or
just why you think Iain Banks' novels are the greatest SF since a little man called
Verne put pen to paper - do drop Geoff a line below. Contact
Uncle Geoff in the rainy English countryside at contributions@sfcrowsnest.com
We still
fund this puppy's bandwidth and other miscellaneous expenses out of our own pocket,
so the spirit of volunteerism is about the only thing that keeps our happy ship
in hyperspace. Any time, articles, stories or reviews you can submit are always
appreciated.
Current requirements:
December 2007
- short fiction - articles -
comment pieces - convention reports - book reviewers (see below)
- Television reviews ... Stargate, Andromeda, Trek etc - Movie reviews
- Games reviews ... RPGs, scenarios, wargames etc - SFF models and figures
... reviews, painting tips, scratchbuilds, conversions BTW,
if you're interested in becoming a book or DVD reviewer, we'd really, really (no,
really) appreciate it if you were UK-based. Posting out the hundred of goodies
we get every week is an expensive business, and extra airmail costs could lead
to Geoff, Jessica, Mark and Steve eating dog food in a crazed economy-drive of
death. Of course, if you're based in the US, Canada or Australia and you fancy
reviewing your own drip-feed of goodies resulting from your science fiction and
fantasy addiction, then that okay by us ... but we can't supply you ourselves!
Sorry. 
Just how popular
is SFcrowsnest.com, dad?
Yahoo
Yahoo ranks SFcrowsnest #2 most popular SFF site on the Internet
http://dir.yahoo.com/Entertainment/Genres/Science_Fiction_and_Fantasy/
Know
of any science
fiction and fantasy pals who don't yet receive this fine monthly magazine? Forward
it to them and let them quiver in awe of your highly evolved and very discriminating
SFF-loving taste. Then twist the arms of the little blighters in a cruel-to-be-kind
attempt to get them to subscribe free too! You
can use the facility below, centered, to subscribe/unsubscribe to this splendid
publication at any time. |