| October
2003 Offworld Report: Science Fiction and Fantasy Spider Robinson
blasts the genre and asks 'why are our imaginations retreating from science and
space, and into fantasy?', Kir Bulychov dies, plus interviews with Jerry Pournelle,
Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Bob Eggleton, Robert J. Sawyer, Ben Bova and Vernor Vinge.
 A
prime crop of SFF gems found offworld the 'Nest for October 2003,
in this month's monthly round-up of the 'best of the rest'.
ARTICLE OF THE MONTH Forward,
Into The Past
Why are our imaginations retreating from science and
space, and into fantasy? SF author Spider Robinson gives the genre a well-aimed
kick up the pants.
INTERVIEWS Being
Bova
The world building of SF author Ben Bova comes into the spotlight
in this interview.
A
Vinge on the Verge
An interview with Vernor Vinge and his dreaded 'singularity'
gets trotted out again.
Meeting
Margo
Oz-based fantasy author Margo Lanagan on writing fantasy and
the smallness of the Australian market.
Seeing
Sawyer
An interview with writer Robert J. Sawyer by Stephen Humphrey.
The
Egg-Man
SFF illustrator Bob Eggleton chats with Edwina Harvey.
Going
Gothic
More gothic gumff from writer Simon Raven. Feel
the Rusch
Kristine Kathryn Rusch sits down for an interview with Infinity
Plus.
Jeepers!
Eric
Nenninger, Kasan Butcher, Nicki Aycox, Josh Hammond and Lena Cardwell chat about
falling prey to demons in the movie Jeepers Creepers II.
More
Pournelle
Legend-in-his-own-lunchtime Jerry Pournelle spills the secrets
of writing SF.
The
Rotter Roth
Eli Roth, Director of the movie Fever, interviewed.
Kicking
Kessel
John Kessel the author behind Freedom Beach and Good News From
Outer Space gets interviewed.
CONS & AWARDS
Aurora
Win
The Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association presented
the 2003 Aurora Awards for best Canadian SFF.
SF
Fans Flock to Toronto
A convention first established in the 1930s and
devoted to all things interstellar touches down in Canada. Yep, they're talking
about the WorldCon.
Will
Sawyer Win?
Robert J. Sawyer was on tenterhooks awaiting the Hugo award
ceremony.
Genre
In A Time Warp?
The odd thing about the SFF fans gathered in Toronto
for Torcon 3, is just how focused they are on the past … rather strange for
a group famous for changing the present by predicting the future.
Sawyer
Wins SF Prize
Lucky seven was the number written in the cosmos for
Mississauga SFF author Robert J. Sawyer. After being passed over six times, Sawyer
captured the award for best novel for his 2002 work 'Hominids' at the Hugos.
NEWS Lessing
on Bulgakov
Writer Mikhail Bulgakov used allegory in his SF tales of
mad professors and deadly rays to attack the Soviet regime. Doris Lessing pays
tribute to a writer with a gift for survival
Bulychov
Dies
Science Fiction's Kir Bulychov Dies
Last
Frontier meets Final Frontier
In Star Trek, James T. Kirk became a
starship captain at age 32. Fangirl Fairbanksan Jennefer Ernst has earned the
rank - and command of her own vessel - at just 21.
ARTICLES Music
of the Spheres
Jeff Berkwits looks at SF authors and their music. Hmmm.
Nice.
Star
Wars Suffers
The U.S. love affair with Lord Of The Rings is threatening
its relationship with Star Wars. Oh dear.
Dragon
Notes
John Grant gives you some pass notes on his latest work, The
Dragons of Manhattan.
Slipping
Up?
James Patrick Kelly looks at matters slipstream that can be found
on the web.
Utahns
Scribble A Galaxy Of SFF
Is it the culture; is it the religion or the
landscape? Perhaps it's something in the water. Whatever the reason, Utah contains
some of the U.S.'s most prolific producers and ravenous readers of science fiction
and fantasy.
The
Alien Watcher
Reviews of Blind Lake and Singularity Sky.
When
SF Forgets its Science
You can forgive Skywalker, Kirk and Flash Gordon
for messing with the laws of physics in the interests of a good storyline, but
does bad science make a poor science fiction film far worse?
MEDIA Science
Fiction Falls
A look at all the new SFF TV series coming to our goggleboxes
the Fall (Autumn) of 2003.
Running
Rings
London's Science Museum puts on a new exhibit area dedicated
to Tolkien's Middle Earth epic.
I
Created SmallVille (Really)
Not many people know that it was Tim McCanlies
who created the television series 'Smallville' for Warner Brothers. Well, that's
fine with him … and here is why.
Trek
Gets Serious
The new season for 'Enterprise' heats up the action.
The
Return of the King
Richard Taylor from the WETA Effects workshop talks
about the final Middle Earth movie.
Following
Farscape
Review of Farscape Season III, Volume Four.
Tolkien's
Monkey
Tolkien trilogy Director set to remake the King Kong movie.
Caring
For Carter
Interview with Stargate SG-1's Samantha Carter, AKA actress
Amanda Tapping.
Shatner
To Play Kirk's Grandfather?
Our William tells us all that Berman approached
him about a possible 'Enterprise' guest appearance.
Under
the Underworld
Interview with thespian Kevin Grevioux about the Underworld
film.
Timecop
II
Is the new Timecop movie going to be twice as bad as the first film?
High
Spirits
Why the Oscar-winning Japanese animated flick Spirited Away
is one of the most beautiful and original movies for quite a while.
SCI-FI
Channel Gets Hot
The Sci-Fi Channel breaks its own records for television
ratings.
TRAILER TRASH The following movie trailer
downloads all require the latest version of Apple's QuickTime Player for PCs or
Macs (and a fast connection helps). Kill
Bill
Jeepers
Creepers 2
Timeline
Modern
types get stuck in the Middle Ages with no way to return to our time.
The
Lost Skeleton of Cadavra
The
Incredibles
The
Punisher
Alien:
The Director's Cut
FICTION See
Jack Run: An Intergalactic Primer
Wade Albert White short story about
an alien enforcer called Q-zarc.
Brightly
Shining
Jay Lake's alternative reality tale about a World War II where
Nazi zeppelins have all but vanquished the RAF. 
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