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Winter 2011 ~ Editors Ll. Doug Davis Gordon College 419 College Drive A publication of the Science Fiction Research Association Barnesville, GA 30204 [email protected] "' In this issue Jason Embry Georgia Gwinnett College SFRA Review Business 100 University Center Lane Lawrenceville, GA 30043 Continuity of Leadership in Interesting Times 2 [email protected] SFRA Business Managing Editor "Come Gather'Round People .. :' 2 Janice M. Bogstad Calling All Hands 3 University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire January 2011 Meeting Minutes 4 lOS Garfield Avenue State of the Finances 5 Eau Claire, W1 54702-50 l 0 SFRA 2011 Update 5 [email protected] Remembering Neil Barron 6 Nonfiction Editor Feature Michael Klein Genre Fiction in the (Pre)College Composition Classroom 7 James Madison University MSC 2103 Harrisonburg, VA22807 Nonfiction Reviews [email protected] The Animal Fable in Science Fiction and Fantasy 11 Fiction Editor Animal Alterity: Science Fiction and the Question of the Animal 11 Jim Davis Fiction Reviews Troy University Smith274 The Wesleyan Anthology of Science Fiction 12 Troy, AL 36082 The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack 14 [email protected] The Dervish House 15 Cinco de Mayo 17 Media Editor The Fuller Memorandum 17 Ritch Calvin Media Reviews SUNY Stony Brook WOSIS Melville Library The Road 17 Stony Brook, NY 11794-3360 Inception 18 [email protected] Scott Pilgrim vs. the World 20 Battlestar Galactica: The Plan 21 The SFRA Review (ISSN 1068-395X) Caprica: Season 1 22 is published four times a year by the Paradox 24 Science Ficiton Research Associa FreakAngels 25 tion (SFRA), and distributed to SFRA Don't Look Back 27 members. Individual issues are not for sale; however, all issues after 256 Year Zero 28 are published to SFRAS Website Announcements (http://www.sfra.org/) no fewer than 10 weeks after paper publication. For Calls for Papers 30 information about SFRA and mem bership, see the back cover. SFRA thanks the University of Wisconsin Submissions Eau Claire for ist assistance in produc The SFRA Review encourages submissions of reviews, review essays that cover several related texts, inter ing the SFRA Review. views, and feature articles. Submission guidelines are available at http://www.sfra.org/ or by inquiry to the appropriate editor. All submitters must be current SFRA members. Contact the Editors for other submis sions or for correspondence. SFRA Review Business SFRA Business EDITORS' MESSAGE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE Continuity of Leadership "Come Gather 'Round People.. :' in Interesting Times Ritch Calvin Doug Davis and Jason Embry All that you touch You change, AS WE SIT to write our first editorial for this, the two All that you Change hundred and ninety fifth issue of the SFRA Review, Changes you. the rest of the world is marveling at the intensity of The only lasting truth the popular revolutions now sweeping several of the Is Change. globe's autocratic states. Social-network-fueled calls God for changes of leadership are being met with tanks and Is Change. thugs, and we cheer the courage of people willing to put their lives at stake for the causes of free association, IN OCTAVIA BUTLER'S NOVEL The Parable of the workers' rights and the abolition of total state power. Talents, she constructs a character and a religion that Meanwhile, we quietly celebrate our own transition of exalts the role, importance and inevitability of change. leadership. For once again, the executive and adminis While Butler's novel, and the ideas contained therein, trative leadership of the Science Fiction Research As have not been universally accepted, they nevertheless sociation has largely changed hands-and with nary a raise the specter of change and the ways in which peo hiccup to disturb the peace of our own congress. This ple, individually and collectively, might adjust to those smooth process of transition is the surest sign of a changes. healthy organization. However, I am "writing" this column in between Yet as they indicate in their editorials below, our new bouts of snow shoveling. We have had a record amount executive board is also caught up in the global high of snow this month, with more expected before we tech revolutionary spirit of the 21st century. They too close out January, 2011. While doubtless impossible have grand plans to integrate new communication to pin the snow on any one factor-La Nifia, global technologies into the workings of the SFRA and revo warming, etc.-change does seem to be on the way. lutionize how we as an organization conduct our daily Climatologists now suggest that, by the year 2050, the business. It is only fitting, then, that this year's annual local weather (on Long Island) will be the same as the SFRA conference will take place on an international local weather ill Atlanta today. Good or bad, can't say. stage in Poland, a nation that over the past decades has What does all this have to do with science fiction and experienced its own share of inspiring political transi the SFRA? Well, over the past two years, the Executive tion and social change. Committee {Lisa Yaszek, Mack Hassler, Patrick Sharp, For our editorial part, we know that we have inher Adam Frisch, and I) dubbed itself the "transitional EC:' ited a good publication and we desire to continue the We recognized (at least some of) the changes occur previous editorial board's initiatives to make the SFRA ring-in science fiction, in academia and scholarshi~, Review a worldly space both for insightful commentary in publishing, in computing and technology, and m across media and for helpful feature articles that keep communications. We could have continued to oper our membership abreast of the latest trends in science ate according to the extant models and methods or we fiction media, scholarship and pedagogy. To that end, could embrace the changes and attempt to incorporate editor Jason Embry has contributed a feature article on them into the SFRA and the Executive Committee. his experience using science fiction in the remedial col Historically, each new Executive Committee traveled lege writing classroom. We invite all members of the to meet, often at the President's location. This year, in SFRA to contribute reviews, interviews and feature ar part because of scheduling issues, and in part because ticles to this publication that demonstrate, always and of techD.ology, we decided to change that. We held our in their own ways, that science fiction is the truest art first EC meeting Saturday, January 22 via teleconfer- of our global moment. • 2 SFRA Review 295 Winter 2011 ence. We will hold several follow-up meetings via Sky Apart from the positions on the Executive Com pe conference call. Breaking the EC meeting into a se mittee and the SFRA Review, we have created a num ries of shorter, technologically enabled meetings allows ber of new, largely technology-related positions. Matt us more flexibility. In addition, the Skype meetings will Holtmeier continues to serve as the webmaster. The save the organization a good deal of money. And let's previous EC ushered in a shift to a new, Drupal-based face it, when I take that Skype conference call via my website. Through that site, we hope to continue to in iPhone as I sit in my back yard or wander through the novate membership, renewals, resources, databases, store, I really will feel like the age of Dick Tracy-or and so on-send us your ideas, as well! Our media and Philip K. Dick-is upon us. PR director is R. Nicole Smith, who has a huge list of As the themes at the Eaton conference (February innovations in terms of social media. Please stay tuned 2011) and the upcoming SFRA conference indicate, SF for these changes. Thanks to both for their input and has become truly global-which is not to suggest that efforts. SF has not always been global. However, technological Historically, the EC has brought quite a number of changes make production, distribution and consump issues before the membership by way of the business tion of global SF possible in new ways. We certainly meeting, usually held on the Sunday morning of the hope to see you in Poland for the annual conference. conference weekend. However, technology once again Register early, for both the SFRA and for the confer allows us a number of ways to change that pattern and ence. I want to remind everyone that the SFRA, in to enable wider participation from the membership. keeping with most professional and academic organi After all, while we do usually have a good turnout for zations, made a decision to require all conference par the business meetings-and appreciate all those who ticipants to be members of the SFRA. do attend-it is still only a fraction of the full member For more information, please see conference orga ship. Technological tools such as Survey Monkey allow nizer Pawel Frelik's "State of the Conference" column in us to create a mechanism whereby we can poll the en this issue of the Review. Finally, if money is a concern tire membership for guidance on SFRA business mat (and of course it is for nearly everyone), please look at ters. We already have several polls in the works, so be the SFRA travel grants (located on the SFRA website). sure to look for these on the SFRA website, the SFRA The SFRA does have an award for travel money based Facebook page, or via Twitter feed. on need. You can only get it if you apply at <http:/I It is an exciting time; the pace of change continues to www.sfra.org/node/38>.