Brum Group News The Monthly Newsletter of the BIRMINGHAM GROUP APRIL 2021 Issue 595 Honorary President: CHRISTOPHER PRIEST

Committee: Carol Goodwin (Chair); Pat Brown (Treasurer); Dave Corby (secretary); Theresa Derwin (Publicity Officer); Carol Goodwin (Newsletter Editor); Ian Morley (Membership Secretary); Novacon 50 Chair: Alice Lawson & Tony Berry website: Email: www.birminghamsfgroup.org.uk [email protected] Facebook: Twitter: www.facebook.com/groups/ @BirminghamSF BirminghamSFGroup

Dr Una McCormack April 9th at 7:45 pm This month’s online meeting, we are delighted to welcome Science Fiction author and academic, Dr Una McCormack. Una is probably most well- known for her TV tie-in work. She has published more than a dozen novels set in franchises such as Doctor Who, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Discovery. Her novel STAR TREK: DISCOVERY – THE WAY TO THE STARS was shortlisted for a Dragon Con Award. Her latest release, the Star Trek: Picard novel THE LAST BEST HOPE, became a USA Today bestseller.

May 14th - SF and Urban author Carrie Vaughn

She has also done audio work with Big Finish set in licensed properties such as Doctor Who and Blake’s 7. Una has also written original SF novels, THE STAR OF THE SEA and THE BABA YAGA for Abaddon Books Weird Space SF series. Her shorter-form science fiction has appeared in anthologies edited by Gardner Dozois and Ian Whates. Her story ‘Taking Flight’ (2017) was shortlisted for the BSFA award for short fiction. In 2017 she was a judge for the Clarke Award. Una’s most recent original novella, THE UNDEFEATED, was published in 2019 by Tor. She also taught creative writing for many years as a university lecturer, and published works on Tolkien and Lois McMaster Bujold. She now features in podcasts, national and local radio. She speaks about SF, women’s writing, Ursula LeGuin and Dr Who to name but a few. Info from website https://unamccormack.co.uk/ CG

ONLINE MEETING – HOW TO JOIN IN The April 9th meeting will take place on Zoom. We will send an email with all the info you need to join the meeting to all members nearer the time. To login either copy the link into your web-browser or if you have Zoom, use the Meeting ID and Password. Reminder - There’s a video that shows how easy it is to join a meeting via Zoom. The video is accessible via the Group website or directly on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpeYaUHDU5w

AND WHAT DID YOU THINK? THE LETTER COLUMN OF ‘BRUM GROUP NEWS Anything to say about the Group, meetings or SF in general? Email your opinions or queries to me at [email protected]

1950’S BRITISH SCIENCE FICTION IAN MORLEY I know that I have mentioned this on the book chats, but I don’t think it has been in the newsletter …. Is Phil Harbottle’s YouTube channel which has a now quite a few videos about the British SF Mushroom pulp publishers. It is fascinating and he shows lots of examples of rare books. He can be found at https://bit.ly/3cqvjR0 I am sure that members will enjoy the videos. Cheers. IM

2 NEAR SF VERNON BROWN Two events of interest to SF fans will take place in the next few months, although they are intended for the public at large. The first is an issue of stamps, the second the opening of a science fiction orientated museum, although the latter depends on how well Boris’s A-Z works. The stamps will be issued on April 15th with the theme ‘Classic Science Fiction’. And that’s all that has been disclosed about them at the date of writing (late March)! Keep an eye on the Royal Mail Special Issues website for further details. (https://shop.royalmail.com/special- stamp-issues) The House of Frankenstein museum opens in Bath in June, although I cannot determine the date. As its title suggests it is devoted to ’s novel and the plays and films based on it, but as her work is considered to be the first SF ever published the House is actually a specialist SF museum. The HoF website (https://houseoffrankenstein.com/) does not contain much information about the House but other websites give a lot more. Basically, the museum spreads over four floors and is very immersive i.e. spooky. It has a lot of vintage memorabilia and props dedicated to Frankenstein as well as an animatronic figure closely based on Shelley’s description – not a bolt in sight! Mary’s life history is told in some detail to give an indication of why she was as she was when she lived in Bath and wrote her novel, and there is, of course, a souvenir shop. Ticket prices are very reasonable with reductions for groups, but getting there by train is prohibitively expensive although it’s only 100 miles by road from Brum – less than the distance to London. Perhaps a BSFG coach day trip? VB

RED FLAME PUZZLE VERNON BROWN Landing on a planet of many nations Red found himself in a country ruled by a somewhat eccentric dictator who has decreed that only three types of coin are allowed: a multisided one, a rectangular one and a crescent shaped one. Two crescents equal one multi and five multis equal one rectangle. Feeling thirsty, Red buys a bottle of beer for two coins, drinks it and returns to buy four more, again with two coins. Which coins did he use for each transaction? (Answer on later page)VB

3 MEMBERS NEWS

BSFG member and author Stan Nicholls is one of six authors in a new line of titles (from BOTH Press) which is designed to be accessible to people with dyslexia as well as general readers. Publication is set for June and they are running a Kickstarter to help this worthy cause at https://bit.ly/3duIiR6

Dave Langford (of fame) was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the 2021 FAAN Awards (Fan Activity Achievement Awards) on March 29th. (https://efanzines.com/TIR/Incompleat2021Results.pdf)

In March, HarperVoyager have re-issued four books. They are printed as paperbacks and cost £9.99. They are a mixture of fiction and non-fiction titles.

4 NOMINATIONS – Novels The shortlists for the Nebula Awards have been announced. Details for other categories can be found at www.tor.com/2021/03/15/announcing- the-2020-nebula-awards-finalists/

PIRANESI by Susanna Clarke (Bloomsbury) THE CITY WE BECAME by N K Jemisin (Orbit) MEXICAN GOTHIC by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Jo Fletcher Books) THE MIDNIGHT BARGAIN by C L Polk (Orbit) BLACK SUN by Rebecca Roanhorse (Solaris) NETWORK EFFECT by (Tor.com Publishing)

FORTHCOMING BOOKS (NB Prices given are Recommended Retail Price and may be available at cheaper prices). At the moment, given the situation, many publishers are changing the release dates on new books at short notice. The publication dates given below are correct to the best of my knowledge, but may change.

COMPOSITE CREATURES by Caroline Hardaker / Angry / 400 pgs / £9.99 paperback / ISBN 978-0857669025 / April 13th. SF. When a new couple bring home a mysterious creature to seal in their loft space, they reveal a devastating truth.

VICTORIES GREATER THAN DEATH by Charlie Jane Anders / Titan Books / 400 pgs / £8.99 paperback / ISBN 978-1789094725 /

5 April 13th. SF. YA/Crossover. A teenager discovers her “destiny” as the hidden clone of a great hero is not what she expected.

MALICE by Heather Walter / Del Rey / 480 pgs / £14.99 hardback / ISBN 978-1529101270 / April 13th. Fairy tale retelling of Sleeping Beauty where the princess falls in love with an evil sorceress.

HUMMINGBIRD SALAMANDER by Jeff VanderMeer / Fourth Estate / 400 pgs / £16.99 hardback / ISBN 978-0008299316 / April 15th. SF. The removal of a taxidermied salamander from a storage unit starts a series of events which threatens the whole world.

PROJECT HAIL MARY by Andy Weir / Del Rey / 496 pgs / £20 hardback / ISBN 978-1529100617 / May 4th. SF. Ryland Grace wakes to find himself with no memory, two corpses and millions of miles from home – with a critical mission he doesn’t remember.

THE SHADOW OF THE GODS (Bloodsworn Saga 1) by John Gwynne / Orbit / 496 pgs / £18.99 hardback / ISBN 978-0356514185 / May 6th. The bones of dead gods offer great power, but three seekers will change the fate of the world.

WITHIN WITHOUT (Nyquist Mysteries 4) by Jeff Noon / Angry Robot / 400 pgs / £9.99 paperback / ISBN 978-0857668981 / May 11th. In an alternative 1960, a rock star hires PI Nyquist to track down his stolen sentient image hidden in the strange city of Delirium.

6 WE ARE SATELLITES by Sarah Pinsker / Head of Zeus / 400 pgs / £18.99 hardback / ISBN 978-1800243880 / May 13th. SF. Opinions of a sinister brain implant, the Pilot (that is rapidly becoming essential for employment) divides a family. CG

 B O O K R E V I E W S  (REVIEWERS please note: - all reviews should be emailed direct to me at [email protected] Deadline for each issue is 14 days prior to the date of the monthly meeting. ONE DAY ALL THIS WILL BE YOURS by Adrian Tchaikovsky Solaris / 192 pgs / £24.03 signed ltd edition hardback / ISBN 978- 1781088746 Reviewed by Carol Goodwin stories in SF go back a long way eg the iconic THE TIME MACHINE by H G Wells was published in 1895. They are not easy to write well, with the fundamental problem of causality tripping up too many writers ie if I change the past then I might erase myself or my own present time. Adrian Tchaikovsky has deftly circumvented that by casually (pun intended) breaking causality at the beginning of the story! He then proceeds to write a laugh-out-loud gambol through historical figures and events which is a delight to read. This is a story of a time war – or rather the aftermath of a time war. When various time “soldiers” have so thoroughly interfered with time that they broke causality, one disenchanted veteran made it his mission to end it and eliminate all the other “time warriors”. Time now exists as unconnected fragments and many unrelated histories. Now he apparently enjoys his peaceful retirement at the “end of it all” on his carefully constructed robot-run farm. In reality, this is a “bottleneck” where anyone who manages to reinvent a time machine ends up, and

7 the soldier is waiting for them – along with his pet, feathered allosaurus Miffly! Things plod along for him in much the same manner, until one time-traveller proves his match and their attempts to eliminate each other using all the resources of the fractured past make for a hilarious, clever and entertaining romp. It is shot through with dark humour, puns and satire and reminded me very much of Harry Harrison’s writing, in particular the early Stainless Steel Rat titles. The book is short, a novella in length but packs in a lot. Written in first person, Adrian Tchaikovsky shows again his talent with prose and characterisation. Not for him an outright villain or hero. Instead, the narrator is a tired, curmudgeonly veteran who just wants to be left in peace. He is also quite happy to kill those who threaten to re-ignite the horror and destruction of the time war! I love the balance of the contrasting aspects of his misanthropic pragmatism and his ethical justification. To say much more about the plot would be to spoil the fun of the various twists and turns the narrative takes but suffice it to say you won’t want to put it down. Brilliant and heartily recommended. PS Those of you who know Dave Hutchinson’s Europe SF series will recognise an amusing call-out reference in the text. (Review copy kindly donated by Rebellion Publishing)

ALL THE MURMURING BONES by A. G. Slatter Titan Books / 368 pgs / £11.60 paperback / ISBN 978-1789094343 Reviewed by Theresa Derwin For those new to AG Slatter, she writes horror, fantasy and urban fantasy - I particularly recommend the Vigil trilogy - under her full name, Angela Slatter. She is not new to this writing business. And the thing that I’ve noticed throughout her work, is her inventive use of mythology and fairy tale to create something new and exciting. In All the Murmuring Bones, she tackles the mer-folk, selkies and well-known fairy tales surrounding those myths. In this novel, the O’Malley’s are a family who have dealt with the sea including associated industries for centuries. They are intimidating and powerful and always get their way. At the start, they took ownership of the land by Hob’s Head, near Breakwater, built a tower which soon became a large estate and called it Hob’s Hallow. They were making lots of money, ‘grew rich from the seas’ but never drowned and ‘swam like seals’. Until their fortunes changed and their family stopped growing.

8 Aoife is the remaining “omega” and matriarch of the family; Miren her granddaughter. And Miren is trapped. She is expected to marry well within the extended family and bear three children. She has no choice in their future, but Miren wants more. This is predominantly Miren’s story, about her desire to escape destiny and it rattles along, beside the fairy tales in the family history volumes where secrets are revealed. We never quite know when this is set, but clues such as whalebone corsets and meerschaum pipes plus a travelling acting troupe suggests an early Regency period but certainly darker than you would find in any Austen novel. It also feels distinctly Irish given the character names. And more importantly, it’s incredibly authentic, lending more strength to the theme of feminine power, fighting expected roles and craving independence. Certainly Aidan Fitzpatrick, a character we meet partway through, fits the stereotype of the early Nineteenth century villainous fop. Also, the character of Delphine who is an automaton in an acting troupe can be seen as a metaphor for the lack of ‘autonomy’ – pun intended - of Miren and the other women in the narrative. The prose is wonderful, and it almost feels like you are floating languorously amidst a sea of watery imagery and metaphor, enjoying the poetry of the language until you are sucked under, into the depths with a jolt. This is a truly magical and beautiful book that tells a meaningful tale whilst still being thoroughly entertaining. In her reimagined fairy tales, Slatter is becoming adept at weaving new stories within this mythology, and her name will inevitably become synonymous with fairy tales in the way that Angela Carter has become known. TD Interesting fact: A meerschaum pipe is made from the mineral sepiolite, also known as meerschaum. Meerschaum ... German for "sea foam") is 9 sometimes found floating on the Black Sea and is rather suggestive of sea foam. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meerschaum_pipe

DEVIL’S ROAD by Gary Gibson Newcon Press / 128 pgs / £19.99 signed ltd edition hardback / ISBN 978-1912950478 Reviewed by Ian Morley The Devil’s Run is an annual road race that circumnavigates the post- apocalyptic ruins of Teijouan Island, whose devastated cities teem with (giant monsters à la Godzilla). The Kaiju have infested the now abandoned island from a rift, opened during weapons testing, to the space- time continuum. The central character, Dutch McGuire has faced the trials of the race more times than anyone else but she has never won. Dutch imprisoned for life, is able to escape and is hired to compete in the Devil’s Run once again, by a shadowy underworld gang whose real intentions are only revealed later in the story. Couple this difficult situation with the fact that an old adversary, learning of her escape, is determined to have Dutch killed, only complicates Dutch’s race when her ultimate objective is to get her first race win. Never mind the various types of giant monsters roaming the island that see the racers as a nice snack. The plot is more complex than the slimness of the volume would suggest. The story is thrill-a-minute, with plot twists, reveals and action that does not stop. This is all achieved in a mere 128 pages by Gary Gibson due to his sparse descriptive style; nothing is lost to the reader and the scenes play out in your mind gloriously from a few lines. I have previously read the first couple of his Shoal series, which were written nearly 15 years ago, and his style does feel different in this book. It feels very efficient and there is not a word wasted, I am sure that another writer may have written another 40 pages without any worthwhile addition to the story.

10 I am soon to read EXTINCTION GAME written 6 years ago and it’ll be interesting to see how that book feels in comparison. DEVIL’S ROAD is littered with cultural references which I will not spoil by listing here, needless to say there will be more than a few times where you will nod to yourself for finding them. For me the combination of car racing, monsters and intrigue was more than enough to interest me in buying the book. I very much enjoyed the complex story told with an efficient prose style that fair clips along. A most satisfying quick read. IM DEVIL’S ROAD was released in March 2020, by Newcon Press. Produced to the usual Newcon high standards, they have some limited edition signed hardbacks available still. Paperback and kindle editions are also available from Newcon and usual outlets.

THE SOLSTICE COUNTDOWN (SPI Files 7) by Lisa Shearin Murwood Media LLC / 258 pgs / £10.74 paperback / ISBN 978- 1732722651 Reviewed by Theresa Derwin This top-notch urban fantasy will appeal to fans of Buffy and author Seanan McGuire. Makenna (Mac) Fraser, a seer for SPI (Supernatural Protection and Investigations), had proved her worth so far in many battles, but taking her boyfriend - goblin dark mage, Rake Danescu - home for Christmas to meet the family, could be the biggest battle of all. Rake, now governor of Earth’s goblin colony is literally a reformed rake; a deliciously dashing bad boy gone good. But he still has that dark mage, sexy edge and an of danger about him, never mind the ability to heat up the page. He’s just the kind of man Mac’s mom had warned her against (and her mom should know). At the moment Mac’s SPI partner, Ian Byrne and his girlfriend Kylie O’Hara are away recovering from the last battle, in Bora Bora. Meanwhile Mac and Rake are headed to Weird Sisters for the Winter 11 Solstice. The town is occupied by werewolves, oracles, witches and all sorts. Of course, anyone with family knows that seasonal plans can sometimes go awry; there’s going awry, then there’s going bang. As soon as Mac and Rake have reached her hometown, it’s danger, adventure, mysteries to solve and lives to save; all whilst Rake has to pass the in-law tests. I love the larger settings of the previous books, but making this more insular and introducing the townsfolk of Weird Sisters and Mac’s extended family gifts the series an extra dimension and we see how much Rake actually cares for her as well. Her family is a hoot, especially the Grandma, and some family members are much more intriguing than you’d have thought possible. All manner of supernatural creatures inhabit this Hallmark picture-perfect town and it adds to the charm of this book. In fact, surprisingly, it brims with the magic of Christmas despite the death and mayhem. I love the inhabitants so much it would be great to see a Weird Sister’s spin off. Shearin is adept at building tension and moving the story along, whilst also creating believable characters. As normal, there’s a respectable amount of violence and blood, lots of humour and a fight against a ‘big bad’, twists, turns, magic, romance and so much more. Once you turn the page, you’ll be hooked. TD

THE GALAXY, AND THE GROUND WITHIN (Wayfarers 4) by Becky Chambers Hodder & Stoughton / 336 pgs / £16.99 hardback / ISBN 978- 1473647664 Reviewed by Carol Goodwin The individual books in this series have been shortlisted for many of the prestigious SF Awards including Clarke, Hugo’s etc and the Wayfarers series won the Best Series in 2019. What differentiates Becky Chambers’ books from much SF is that she deals with characters trying to live what are to them ordinary lives, albeit set in a very much SF world. You won’t find a chosen one overthrowing an evil empire here but you will find aliens and humans trying to cope with threats, problems, and contradictory cultures and laws. While there is some overlap of characters in the books, each volume tells a complete story and can easily be read as stand-alone.

12 In THE GALAXY, AND THE GROUND WITHIN three aliens from different species are stranded on a transit planet when an accident in the web of satellites surrounding the planet initiates a cascade of failures and crashes. Confined with their host and her son in a habitat dome, they each have pressing reasons to be resuming their journey as soon as possible. However, the delay means that people who would have remained strangers now must spend an extended time with each other. This results in the building of unlikely friendships and an increase in understanding and empathy for the very different circumstances and challenges they each face. As with the other books in this series, this is a book about respect and valuing “others” whatever their appearance or abilities, and the reader can draw many parallels with situations in our own world if they wish. It is about recognising ignorance and actively seeking to understand and empathise with others. However, in case that all sounds a bit worthy but boring, it is far from it. Each character has a difficult situation to resolve which are high-stakes to them if not the whole universe. Unlike many authors, Becky Chambers understands that “conflict” in a narrative does not only involve fighting but can be broader and include clashes of ideas or emotional conflicts and be just as interesting. I also enjoyed the detailed planning evident in this book. The different characters are well-described, believable and charming. The author has also put considerable thought into how the physical forms of each species affect their lives and others’ perceptions of them. For example, there is a lizard-form who uses colour changes to communicate rather than sound, and another who breathes methane and thus can only interact from within an encounter suit etc. This is a heart-warming and optimistic book, with a rare emotional depth that still manages to be easy to read and well-paced. The worldbuilding of this,

13 and the series as a whole, is also excellent, and one which I expect to see on award lists. A worthy ending to a magnificent series. CG (Review copy kindly donated by Hodder & Stoughton)

FORTHCOMING EVENTS All details are correct to the best of our knowledge, although we advise checking nearer the date. Any information about forthcoming SF/Fantasy/Horror events is always welcome – please send to Carol at [email protected]

EVENT HORIZON, 15th April. Online. Ken MacLeod’s Road Trip. With SFF authors Charles Stross, Justina Robson, Tasha Suri. 8pm. Free. Register at www.shorelineofinfinity.com

JEFF VANDERMEER & DAVID MITCHELL, 14th April. Conversation & Book launch. 7:30 pm. Tickets £20 inc HUMMINGBIRD SALAMANDER purchase. At www.waterstones.com/events/fantasy-worlds-ben-aaronovitch-namina-forna- and-patrice-lawrence/online-events

SOLARIS SATELLITES SPOTLIGHT: Premee Mohammed, Wayne Santos & Derek Kunsken, 17th April. Online. Hosted by Glasgow in 24. Three authors discuss their genre works. 7pm. Free. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/solaris-satellites-spotlight-premee-mohamed-wayne- santos-derek-kunsken-tickets-145912118073

THE WAR OF THE WORLDS by Andrew Lound, 22nd April. A presentation on the book and its various interpretations. 7pm. £4 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-war-of-the-worlds-tickets-138861820443

VICTORIA AVEYARD, NAMINA FORNA & ALWYN HAMILTON, 29th April. Recorded conversation. Forbidden Planet TV www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_C8ULVsFI5Qm7d788_GMA

JOHN GWYNNE & K S VILLOSO, 4th May. Q&A and Conversation. 8 pm. Online. Free. Book: https://bit.ly/3sO9FMw

BRITSCIFI ONLINE, 14th -16th May. Online celebration by Space Centre Leicester of British TV SF. Free. Q&A etc. Guests Joanna Lumley, Alex Kingston, Big Finish https://spacecentre.co.uk/event/britscifi/

14 LONDON FIRST THURSDAY SFF GROUP, Online. Virtual first Thursday. At https://medium.com/@BohemianCoast/first-thursday-london- sf-fan-virtual-drinks-5232021e961f

CONVENTIONS and EXHIBITIONS CYMERA SFFH Book Festival 2021, 4th - 6th June, Online. Festival of SF, Fantasy & Horror Writing. Weekend Pass £35 until April 2nd. Individual events £5-6. www.cymerafestival.co.uk/cymera2021

FANTASYCON, 24th – 26th September, Birmingham. At Jury’s Inn, Broad Street. Early Bird £66. No GOH info. www.hwsevents.co.uk/

BRISTOLCON, 30th October 2021, Bristol. Guests of Honour Adrian Tchaikovsky and Anna Smith Spark. Doubletree Hotel. £20. Details at www.bristolcon.org

NOVACON 50, November 2021, Nottingham. Guests of Honour: Chris Baker, Emma Newman, Claire North, Christopher Priest. Mercure Nottingham Sherwood Hotel. Details at www.novacon.org.uk

CHILLERCON), 10th – 13th March, Scarborough. International Horror Convention. Guests of Honour Mike Carey, , Grady Hendrix etc. At the Grand/Royal Hotels, Scarborough. £115. https://chillercon-uk.com

SATELLITE 7, moved to 27th – 29th May 2022, Glasgow. Guest of Honour , Margaret Walty. At Crowne Plaza, Glasgow. Membership £70. https://seven.satellitex.org.uk

FUTURE MEETINGS OF THE BSFG For 2021 meetings are online until further notice. Some dates may change. May 14th – SF and Urban fantasy author Carrie Vaughn June 11th - tbc July 9th – SFF Author and Gamer Danie Ware August 13th - tbc September 10th - tbc October 8th - tbc November 5th - tbc December 10th – tbc

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BRUM GROUP NEWS #595 (April 2021) copyright 2021 for Birmingham SF Group. Articles, artwork and photographs must not be reproduced in whole or part without the consent of the editor and/or the respective authors. This issue produced by Carol Goodwin ([email protected]). Thanks to all the named contributors.

ABOUT US... The Birmingham Science Fiction Group meets on the second Friday of each month. Membership is £25 per year per person (or £35 for two members living at the same address). This includes the 12 free issues of the Newsletter plus reduced entrance fee at each meeting. Details of how to join/pay can be obtained at a meeting or by email to [email protected]

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