MAY 2002 ISSUE 368 Brum Honorary Presidents: BRIAN W ALDISS Group Committee: Ne w s Vernon Brown (Chairman) Vicky Cook (Secretary) Pat Brown (Treasurer) The Free Monthly Newsletter of the Rog Peyton (Newsletter Editor) BIRMINGHAM + Steve Jones & William McCabe GROUP NOVACON 32 Chairman: Martin Tudor

FRIDAY lOTH MAY THIS YEAR'S FAN GUEST OF HONOUR AT HELICON, JERSEY, TALKS ABOUT CONVENTIONS, AVOIDING GETTING DRUNK, HUM-AND-SWAY SESSIONS AND HOW TO BECOME A SECRET MASTER OF FANDOM You thought you knew it all? Hah! man didn’t take prisoners. Immediately No way. Peter Weston will introduce seeing that British fanzines were full of you to the part of being a science fiction every subject except science fiction he fan that other fans don’t reach. set out to Change the World. If you Reportedly a robot built by the were a science fiction fan, you talked original Birmingham SF Group in the about SCIENCE FICTION, dammit! early 60s, he appeared almost overnight His fanzine ZENITH - later with no known history and immediately SPECULATION - became THE ‘zine caused a storm in British fandom. This for all self-respecting SCIENCE

JUNE Meeting - Fantasy author Juliet E McKenna will be talking to the Group.

1 I FICTION fans, containing articles by The meeting will take place in the many famous SF authors such as Lichfield room on the second floor of Frederik Pohl and H Beam Piper among the Britannia Hotel, New Street others. In the mid-sixties he wrote a fan (entrance in Union Passage almost column for the BSFA’s official journal opposite the Odeon). It will VECTOR under the pseudonym commence at 7.45pm so please arrive ‘Malcolm Edwards’, two full years early, get your drinks from the bar before the REAL Malcolm Edwards and be seated in plenty of time. entered British fandom. His foresight At the bottom of the ramp from New was extraordinary. Street Station, turn right, cross over In 1971, along with Vernon the road and you’ll find Union Brown, Bob Rickard and myself, he Passage about 20-30 yards along. organised the Eastercon in Worcester, with Anne McCaffrey as Guest of FORTHCOMING EVENTS Honour. Three months later, Peter, Vernon and myself started the May 15 - Special Preview of STAR Birmingham SF Group that is still WARS 2: ATTACK OF THE running now - 31 years on! CLONES at the USC cinema in the He went on to greater glory by Arcadian Centre, Hurst Street. It will being Chairman of a British start at 11.40pm (20 minutes to - not once, but twice! How did he midnight). Tickets are £4.50 each - manage all this activity? Had he cloned £3.50 for students and children - and himself? Was there no end to this man’s must be bought in advance. To ensure energy and enthusiasm? you get your ticket, book with Andy - But, sadly, there was. All on his mobile 07970 782686. Andy is positronic robots have to be recharged also a member of the Birmingham and the Weston Mark-PR model was no University SF Group and will be exception. Dropping out of fandom and making sure that members of both SF the Brum Group after a 25-year plus Groups are guaranteed tickets. stint, nothing was heard of him until he visited the Brum Group last year. News June 28-30 - the SCIENCE FICTION of his re-entry into fandom spread RESEARCH ASSOCIATION quickly and h e was invited to be Fan CONFERENCE will be held at New Guest of Honour at this year’s Lanark, Scotland. Theme of the Eastercon in Jersey. conference will be Utopias. Guests of And now - fully recharged and Honour are Pat Cadigan, Paul McAuley ready to attain even greater heights - and Ken MacLeod. Keynote speaker Peter is back and we welcome him to will be Andy Sawyer. Cost is £264.00 the Group to talk about his life in (all meals included) for SFRA and SFF fandom, how he feels about his return members - see website for other fees, and how he succeeded in shedding off etc. Info from 22 Addington Road, the problems of rust. RGP Reading, RG1 5PT, UK. email: Farah Mendlesohin - [email protected]

2 or Andrew Butler, ambutler@enterprise. net JOAN HARRISON website: www.sfra.org/sfra2002.htm It is with great sorrow that we August 9-11 - CONTEXXT (UNICON report the death, from cancer, of 20) at University of Gloucestershire, Joan Harrison - wife of our Oxon, UK. Guests of Honour: Keith Honorary President Harry Harrison Brooke and Ben Jeapes. Details from - on Sunday 21st April. Nigel and Sabina Furlong, 17 Cow Joan was well-known to most Lane, Didcot, Oxfordshire, 0X11 7SZ, Brum Group members, having been UK. email: [email protected] at many conventions including website: NOVACONs www. cix. co. uk/-bugshaw/uniconwin/ Joan was petite and great fun but with a look that could kill if you November 1-3 - NOVACON 32 - the upset her. I will always remember Birmingham SF Group’s very own one incident that happened in the convention will be held at the Quality mid-70s. I’d known Joan for several Hotel, Bentley, Walsall, UK. Guest of years but hadn’t seen her for about Honour - lan McDonald, author of 2-3 years. In that time I'd grown a DESOLATION ROAD, ARES beard. I was down in London at one EXPRESS, CHAGA, etc., etc. Cost of of the old Tun meetings and about registration is £35 - send to five or six of us were standing NOVACON 32, 379 Myrtle Road, around when Joan and Harry Sheffield, S2 3HQ. arrived. Joan came up to the group email: [email protected] and warmly greeted each fan with a This is the one event that YOU should hug and a kiss - except me. be attending! It is not too soon to Obviously she hadn’t recognised register! Especially if you require a me, so I said “Don't 1 get a hug single room. then?”. She gave me that look and turned away - then slowly turned All details are correct to the best of our back as some hint of recognition hit knowledge, we advise contacting organisers her. She looked at me - “Rog????” before travelling. Always enclose a Then she threw her arms around me stamped, self-addressed envelope when and I got my hug. writing to any of the above contact addresses. I didn't get to see Joan as often as I would have liked but I’ll always Any information about forthcoming SF / remember her with great fondness. Fantasy / Horror events are always I’ll miss her. welcome - please send to me at The committee have sent a card rog@rogpeyton. fsnet. co.uk. tell me about it from the Group to Harry and their in the shop or phone me at the shop on daughter Moira. RGP 0121 643 1999.

3 FROM THE CHAIRMAN at [email protected] or write to Alan at 2 Old Port Close, Tipton, The best-known natural law after West Midlands, DY4 7XN before the e=mc2 is probably Sod’s First - “If end of May. VB anything can go wrong it will!” and it has just operated again. ARTHUR C CLARKE AWARD 2002 Last month the Committee initiated an advertising campaign. This Nominees for Best Novel are:- month Alan Woodford had to resign PASHAZADE - Jon Courtney Grimwood due to pressure of work leaving us with (Earthlight) a couple of problems. FALLEN DRAGON - Peter F Hamilton Because Alan appears as a contact (Macmillan) on our posers and cards, they are now BOLD AS LOVE - Gwyneth Jones outdated so please destroy any that we (Gollancz) sent you for distribution. If you have THE SECRET OF LIFE - Paul McAuley put any up, please leave them for the (Voyager) MAPPA MUNDI - Justina Robson time being and Alan will pass on any (Macmillan) contacts for the next month or so. As PASSAGE - Connie Willis soon as we get things sorted out we will (Voyager) send you some corrected posters and cards. The winner will be announced at the We now need another Membership Science Museum, London on May 18th. Officer and Treasurer. Pat has The winner will receive a cheque for volunteered to do the latter for the rest £2002 and an engraved bookend. of the year but we still need someone to deal with memberships. The job is 2002 NEBULA AWARD NOMINEES obviously important but its not too onerous - it will take, on average, some Nominees for Best Novel are: ten minutes a week plus attending committee meetings once a month in the THE QUANTUM ROSE - Catherine Asaro City centre. Access to a computer is (Tor) very useful but not absolutely ETERNITY’S END - Jeffrey A Carver necessary. (Tor) We also need one or two people MARS CROSSING - Geoffrey A Landis who usually attend Group Meetings and (Tor) who arrive early, to sell raffle tickets. A STORM OF SWORDS Although a simple job its important - - George R R Martin (Bantam) the Group’s financial balance is on a THE COLLAPSIUM - Wil McCarthy knife-edge and the raffle brings in (Del Rey) money that we really need. THE TOWER AT STONY WOOD - Patricia A McKillip (Ace) If you are interested in any of the DECLARE - Tim Powers above posts/jobs, please contact me at (Subterranean Press/Morrow) the May or June meetings, or email Rog

4 PASSAGE - Connie Willis audience. The novel is an alternate (Bantam) history of the last 600 years in which the Plague has wiped out the whole of THE 2002 HUGO AWARDS Europe. Of course that’s not science -NOMINEES fiction!??? .... the Philip K Dick The nominees for Best Novel are; Award for best original paperback SF published in 2001 was awarded to THE CURSE OF CHALION SHIP OF FOOLS by Richard Paul Lois McMaster Bujold (HarperCollins/Eos) Russo (Ace books, US) .... Five Star AMERICAN GODS Books in the US have announced a new Neil Gaiman (Morrow) series edited by Martin H Greenberg PERDIDO STREET STATION focusing on shorter fiction, The first by China Mieville (Macmillan UK) four titles were announced for March COSMONAUT KEEP 2002 publication - IMMERSION AND Ken MacLeod (Orbit UK) OTHER SHORT NOVELS by Gregory PASSAGE Benford, HUNTING THE SNARK Connie Willis (Bantam) THE CHRONOLITHS AND OTHER SHORT NOVELS by Robert Charles Wilson (Tor) Mike Resnick, BEHIND THE EYES OF DREAMERS AND OTHER JOHN W. CAMPBELL AWARD for SHORT NOVELS by Pamela Sargent and IN ANOTHER COUNTRY AND BEST NEW WRITER OF 2000/2001 OTHER SHORT NOVELS by Robert Silverberg. They are published mainly Tobias S. Buckell for the library market so may be (second year of eligibility) Alexander C. Irvine difficult to get but ANDROMEDA will (second year of eligibility) certainly be trying to get them in .... Wen Spencer Graham Joyce’s magnificent novel (first year of eligibility) THE TOOTH FAIRY is being reissued Jo Walton by Earthlight, and Radar Pictures have (second year of eligibility) optioned the novel for a movie with the Ken Wharton screenplay to be written by Graham. (second year of eligibility) His new novel, THE FACTS OF LIFE, has been sold to Gollancz .... Fred NEWS IN BRIEF.... Saberhagen has sold a new Berserker novel BERSERKER PRIME to Tor ...... Kim Stanley Robinson’s new epic, Robert Rankin moves from Trans­ THE YEARS OF RICE AND SALT, world/Doubleday to Gollancz. The first has been published as a HarperCollins novel has been handed in - it’s called general fiction title, not, as originally THE HOLLOW CHOCOLATE planned, in their ‘Voyager’ imprint. BUNNIES OF THE APOCALYPSE Apparently it was decided that this book .... Meisha Merlin are to publish an is NOT science fiction and would omnibus volume of the first two therefore appeal to a much wider Kedrigern novels and six short stories

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ANDROMEDA IS BACK!

Yes, ANDROMEDA is back and now open for business at its usual premises 2-5 Suffolk Street. The assets of the old company (Andromeda Book Co Ltd.) were bought for an undisclosed sum on April 19th by Boomclear Ltd who are based in Walsall and who also own DUNGEONS AND STARSHIPS in Digbeth. The shop opened the next day.

The new name is ANDROMEDA BOOKSHOPS LTD. I have been appointed manager and eventually all the staff will be re-employed. After three months closure, it will obviously take some time to get up to speed again. But new stock is now being ordered and the shelf-refilling will commence, hopefully, next week. About 40 boxes that had been stuck in New York have now arrived and are on the shelves. At present, it is not known if we will be staying in Suffolk Street. The lease ran out on April 19th but the new owners have obtained a short extension and are negotiating for a longer term.

Alternatively, we may be combined with DUNGEONS AND STARSHIPS in new, bigger premises in the City centre. It will be ironic if that happens as DUNGEONS AND STARSHIPS was started in ANDROMEDA’s basement over 25 years ago!

Watch this space or visit our website for up-to-the-minute news - www.andromedabook.co.uk RGP ANDROMEDA BOOKSHOPS LTD 2-5 SUFFOLK STREET BIRMINGHAM B1 1LT Tel: 0121 643 1999 Fax: 0121 643 2001

6 by John Morressy. Ace originally what the Del Rey editors are thinking published all five (six?) Kedrigern of, letting these books go. Yes, they’re novels in the 80s but something went 30 years old but they have never been terribly wrong. The first book sold out of print until last year. They’ve sold extremely well. So did the second. By steadily and have been good income for the time the third book was published, Del Rey. All three books will be the first two were out of print. Book 2 revised to bring them in line with later was reprinted - but not Book 1! Without books in the series. If you ONLY read the first volume available, the sales SF I really can recommend this series - dropped quickly. This type of tiling is this is fantasy worth reading - all the happening all too frequently with ‘magic’ can easily be read as non-interested staff at publishers relying teleportation, etc., - good old science completely on computers .... Paramount fiction themes! .... In June, Tor are have optioned film rights to the 8-book about to prove that hardcovers of old series The Lost Regiment by William R paperbacks DO sell by issuing A Forstchen .... There’s a new Hammer's STAINLESS STEEL TRIO by Harry Slammers novel by David Drake due in Harrison - a hardcover omnibus of July - PAYING THE PIPER will be a STAINLESS STEEL RAT IS BORN, $23.00 hardcover .... Ace books have ....GETS DRAFTED and ...SINGS repurchased the Liaden Universe series THE BLUES. Plus hardcover editions by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. They of L Sprague de Camp & Lin originally published three of the series Carter’s CONAN THE LIBERATOR nearly 20 years ago. Since then, the and Gordon R Dickson’s DORSAI series has attained cult status and a SPIRIT (presumably SPIRIT OF further five volumes (2 prequels and 3 DORSAI and LOST DORSA1) .... sequels) have appeared in hardcover. Baen books are about to issue (in Volume 1 - LOCAL CUSTOM - was August) MEDSHIP by Murray published in March and Vol 2 - Leinster. This will be (hopefully) the SCOUT’S PROGRESS appeared April four Med Ship books in one volume. I 30th. The other volumes will appear at say hopefully because over a decade ago quarterly intervals .... R A Lafferty Ace issued THE COMPLETE died in March, aged 87. His novels MEDSHIP and missed out one book! included PAST MASTER, ARRIVE The four volumes are DOCTOR TO AT EASTERWINE and FOURTH THE STARS (the missing volume!), MANSIONS .... Jack Williamson THIS WORLD IS TABOO, THE celebrated his 94th birthday on April MUTANT WEAPON and S.O.S 29th .... Dave Langford has received FROM THE STARS .... a new NESFA’s Edward E Smith Memorial Beastmaster novel - BEASTMASTER’S ‘Skylark’ Award for Imaginative ARK from Andre Norton and Lyn Fiction .... Katherine Kurtz has resold McConchie will appear in hardcover the original Deryni trilogy - DERYNI from Tor in June .... I’ve been rather RISING, DERYNI CHECKMATE and surprised by the rave reviews Anne HIGH DERYNI - to Ace. One wonders Rice has been giving the new books by

7 Alice Borchardt over the past couple of anything to the group for some time - years. She doesn’t usually give her so let’s have a concentrated effort this name to ‘blurb raves’. While watching month. It’s obviously not possible that a programme on Anne Rice on the you want to keep EVERY book you Biography Channel recently, I buy - surely there’s a few items you just discovered that Alice Borchardt thinks KNOW you’ll never read again. So a hell of a lot about Anne Rice. bring them along and make the time Apparently she’s her sister.... Ooops. either side of the talk, a lot more interesting.

* THE RAFFLE B o o k R e v i e w s Where would the Group be without the monthly raffle? We need more of your money so please make sure you buy your tickets at the door (REVIEWERS please note:- in future all while you are paying your entrance fee. reviews should be emailed direct to me at You only have to make one payment to [email protected]) Deadline for the Treasurer instead of two. It’ll hurt each issue is the 1st of the month. less - trust me! Well - I didn’t expect this - no reviews! What’s happened to everyone? Loads of Newsletter 368 copyright 2002 for the books have been given out for review not Birmingham Science Fiction Group. all of them have been reviewed. Admittedly Designed by Rog Peyton. Opinions during the last month there has been nothing expressed herein do not necessarily given out but several reviewers have not reflect those of the committee or the given the reviews they promised. Come ON general membership or, for that matter, now! You know who you are - let’s have the person giving their opinion. . those reviews for the next issue. Thanks to Martin Tudor for news and info this month. BRING AND BUY BOOKS It’s obviously time to remind you The BRUM GROUP Website address is www.bsfg.freeservers.com/ to bring along some books to the Contributions, ideas, etc. always meeting so that you can sell or swap welcome. with other members. No-one has bought

The Birmingham Science Fiction Group meets on the second Friday of each month at the Britannia Hotel, New Street. Membership is £16 per year per person (or £21 for two members living at the same address). This includes the 12 free issues of the Newsletter plus reduced entrance fee at each meeting. Cheques should be made payable to ‘The Birmingham Science Fiction Group” and sent to our Treasurer, Pat Brown, 106 Green Lanes, Wylde Green, Sutton Coldfield West Midlands, B73 5J11

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