VECTOR The Critical Journal of the British Science Fiction Assocation No. 255 Spring 2008 £4.00 2007 IN REVIEW PLUS:books Laurie J Marks •& Kelly films Link, Stephen Baxter,• television Andy Sawyer and Graham Sleight NEW BOOKS REVIEWED: Aldiss, Asher, Banks, Baxter, Hamiltton Rucker, Simmons & much more VECTOR The Critical Journal of the British Science Fiction Association Spring 2008 No. 255 Contents The British Science Fiction Association Torque Control 3 President Sir Arthur C. Clarke, CBE Editorial by Niall Harrison Vice President Stephen Baxter Chair (acting) Tony Cullen Vector Reviewer’s Poll: 5 [email protected] The Best Books of 2007 Treasurer Martin Potts Compiled by Kari Sperring 61 Ivy Croft Road, Warton Near Tamworth Threes and 2007’s: the films of 2007 14 B79 0JJ [email protected] By Colin Odell and Mitch Le Blanc Membership Peter Wilkinson Services 39 Glyn Avenue, New Barnet Transmission, Interrupted: 19 Herts., EN4 9 PJ TV of 2007 [email protected] by Saxon Bullock Membership fees UK £26p.a., or £18 p. a. (unwaged), or Logic and Loving Books: 24 £28 p.a. (joint/family memberships) Laurie J. Marks and Kelly Link Outside UK £32 in conversation The BSFA was founded in 1958 and is a non- First Impressions 29 profitmaking organisation entirely staffed by unpaid Reviews edited by Paul Billinger volunteers. Registered in England. Limited by guarantee. Company No. 921500 Foundation Favourites 42 by Andy Sawyer Registered address: 61 Ivy Croft Road, Warton, Near Tamworth, B79 0JJ Resonances 44 by Stephen Baxter Website http://www.bsfa.co.uk The New X 46 Orbiter writing groups by Graham Sleight Contact Gillian Rooke Southview, Pilgrims Lane Vector website: http://www.vector-magazine.co.uk Chilham, Kent Editor’s blog: http://vectoreditors.wordpress.com CT4 8AB Vector Features, Editorial Niall Harrison Other BSFA publications and Letters: 73 Sunderland Avenue Oxford Focus: The writer’s magazine of the BSFA OX2 8DT Editor Martin McGrath 48 Spooners Drive, Book Reviews: Kari Sperring Park Street, 19 Uphall Road St Albans, Cambridge AL2 2HL CB1 3HX [email protected] Production: Liz Batty Matrix: The news magazine of the BSFA [email protected] Editor Ian Whates Published by the BSFA @2008 ISSN 05050448 [email protected] All opinions are those of the individual contributors and should not Printed by PDC Copyprint (Guilford), Middle Unit, 77-83 Walnut Tree necessarily be taken as the views of the BSFA. Close, Guilford, Surrey, GU1 4UH Spring 2008 - VECTOR 255 EDITORIAL TORQUE CONTROL by Niall Harrison his issue is Vector’s traditional look back at organisation like the BSFA to be able to provide the year just gone, so in addition to an in- information and features online. Until now we Tdepth conversation between Kelly Link and haven’t been doing enough to engage these Laurie J. Marks, and our regular columns, we have members. the Vector Reviewers’ Poll, Colin Odell and Mitch All of which said, nothing is irreversible, and LeBlanc’s assessment of 2007’s sf and fantasy films, we invite further feedback. Aside from letters and and an overview of the year’s genre TV. We’ve also emails of comment to the addresses opposite, or got the nominees for this year’s BSFA Awards; by collaring one of the committee at Eastercon, the the time this issue reaches you, you should have best ways to make your opinions known will be received your ballot (please vote!). to come along to the AGM (which, as usual, will But despite all this, I’m not really in a be in May-ish; details to follow), or to visit the retrospective mood – I’m looking forward, shiny new BSFA forum. You can find it at <http:// primarily because the BSFA committee, myself www.bsfa.co.uk/bsfa/website/community/default. included, have been beavering away in an effort to aspx?forum>, or by following the ‘community’ implement a whole raft of changes for the start of link on the front page of the website. If you want this year. This is the BSFA’s 50th anniversary, and more direct input, you can volunteer to serve on as well as looking backwards it seemed like a good the committee yourself – we’re all regular BSFA time to look forwards, to work out where the BSFA members, all volunteers, and (trust me) we can is going and what we need to do to get it there. always use more help. Probably the first change you’ll notice is that, In addition to the launch of the forum, it’s good as new editor Ian Whates announced last issue, to be able to announce that Vector is getting bigger Matrix is now being published online, at the BSFA – growing from 36 pages to 48, which means that website <http://www.bsfa.co.uk/>. Since the last even with the quarterly schedule the decrease mailing went out, we’ve received some reassuring in content overall is minimal (192 pages a year, votes of confidence in this move; but a handful rather than 216). Some of this space will be taken of you also expressed reservations, so it’s worth up by regular Matrix features which aren’t as briefly going over why the decision was made. time-sensitive as reviews – notably Andy Sawyer’s The main reason is simply that online “Foundation Favourites” column and Stephen publication will help Matrix to remain timely and Baxter’s “Resonances” column. Saxon Bullock’s relevant. As you’ve no doubt all noticed, we’ve had new TV column “Transmission, Interrupted” will some problems with the distribution of mailings also become a regular feature, taking a more in- over the last eighteen months or so – the last depth look at its subject than reviews usually have mailing, for instance, was delivered to the printers either time or space for. The revitalised Focus, in November, but did not appear on doorsteps of course, continues on its usual biannual print until mid-January. Because Matrix focuses on schedule. news, film, and TV, much of the content in that And we’re looking into additional publications. issue was out of date by the time it was published. The BSFA, after all, doesn’t exist to publish For similar reasons, we’re also switching the magazines – it exists to support a variety of mailings to a quarterly, rather than bimonthly activities to promote and discuss science fiction schedule – although Vector will be getting bigger to and fantasy. The magazines are a crucial part of compensate. that, but so are the Orbiter writing groups, so are The committee didn’t make these decisions the awards, so are discounts on sf books such as lightly, but at the end of the day the reason there those announced in the last Matrix, and so is the is a committee is to take decisions like this. To website. This year, look out for additional activities respond to the most common objection to the to mark the BSFA’s 50th anniversary – in particular, Matrix move, we do realise that even in the 21st an anthology of original fiction, to be launched century, even among science fiction fans, internet at Eastercon, including stories by Brian Aldiss, M use is not all-pervasive, and that some people will John Harrison, Stephen Baxter, Liz Williams, Tricia now not see Matrix; but we also have to recognise Sullivan, Alastair Reynolds, Adam Roberts, and that there are a lot of new members who expect an half a dozen more. 3 VECTOR 255 – Spring 2008 BSFA AWARDS 2007 SHORTLIST The shortlists for the 2007 British Science Fiction Association (BSFA) awards were announced on 21 January 2008, as follows: Best Novel • Alice in Sunderland – Bryan Talbot (Jonathan Cape) • Black Man – Richard Morgan (Gollancz) • Brasyl – Ian McDonald (Gollancz) • The Execution Channel – Ken MacLeod (Orbit) • The Prefect – Alastair Reynolds (Gollancz) • The Yiddish Policemen’s Union – Michael Chabon (Fourth Estate) Best Short Fiction • ‘Lighting Out’ – Ken MacLeod (disLocations) • ‘Terminal’ – Chaz Brenchley (disLocations) • ‘The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate’ – Ted Chiang (F&SF, September) • ‘The Gift of Joy’ – Ian Whates (TQR) • ‘The Sledge-Maker’s Daughter’ – Alastair Reynolds (Interzone #209) Best Artwork • ‘Cracked World’ – Andy Bigwood (cover of disLocations, ed. Ian Whates; Newcon Press) • ‘H P Lovecraft in Britain’ – Les Edwards (cover of chapbook by Stephen Jones, published by the British Fantasy Society) • ‘Lunar Flare’ – Richard Marchand (cover of Interzone #211) • ‘Metal Dragon Year’ – Kenn Brown (cover of Interzone #213) BSFA Fiftieth Anniversary Award: Best Novel of 1958 • A Case of Conscience – James Blish (Ballantine) • Have Spacesuit, Will Travel – Robert A Heinlein (first published in F&SF, August – October 1958) • Non-Stop – Brian Aldiss (Faber) • The Big Time – Fritz Leiber (Galaxy, March & April) • The Triumph of Time – James Blish (Avon) • Who? – Algis Budrys (Pyramid) The shortlists for the awards were compiled from nominations submitted by members of the BSFA. They will be voted on by BSFA members and by attending members of the British national convention. Nominations were also invited for the best non-fiction of 2007, but although a number of works were nominated there was no consensus and so no shortlist could be formed. A non-fiction award will therefore not be presented this year. 4 Spring 2008 - VECTOR 255 REVIEWERS’ POLL BEST BOOKS OF 2007 compiled by Kari Sperring ello and welcome to the 2007 Vector reviewers’ The Yiddish Policemen’s Union. Not surprisingly, all three poll. I find myself in a strange space writing that were nominated for the 2007 BSFA Best Novel Award; H— as you can see from the sub-heading, I am of the other novels on that particular short-list, Richard not Paul Billinger, and yet here I am summarising his Morgan’s Black Man garnered two votes, while Bryan final year as reviews editor.