Vector The critical journal of the British Science Fiction Association The science and science fiction of war INSIDE: Stephen Baxter, Claire Brialey, Lara Buckerton, Felix Danczak, David Hebblethwaite, John Jarrold, Caroline Mullan, Abigail Nussbaum, Andy Sawyer No. 264 AUTUMN 2010 £4.00 Vector 264 The Critical Journal of the British Science Fiction Association Contents The British Science Fiction Association Torque Control 3 President Stephen Baxter Editorial by Niall Harrison Chair Ian Whates [email protected] Chaoplexity: 5 Treasurer Martin Potts The science & science fiction of warfare 61 Ivy Croft Road, Warton By Lara Buckerton Near Tamworth B79 0JJ Twenty years, one panel 17 [email protected] A discussion of the BSFA and Mexicon Membership Peter Wilkinson surveys of British sf & fantasy writers Services 39 Glyn Avenue, Featuring: Claire Brialey Niall Harrison, David New Barnet, Hebblethwaite, John Jarrold and others Herts, EN4 9PJ [email protected] Look to Wasteland 23 Membership fees TS Eliot’s The Waste Land as a template UK £29 p.a., or £20 p. a. (unwaged), or for the sf of Iain M Banks £31 p.a. (joint/family memberships) by Felix Danczak Outside UK £40 First Impressions 29 The BSFA was founded in 1958 and is a non- Reviews edited by Martin Lewis profitmaking organisation entirely staffed by unpaid volunteers. Registered in England. Limited by Foundation Favourites 46 guarantee. Company No. 921500 by Andy Sawyer Registered address: 61 Ivy Croft Road, Warton, Near Resonances 48 Tamworth, B79 0JJ by Stephen Baxter Website http://www.bsfa.co.uk Progressive Scan 50 by Abigail Nussbaum Orbiter writing groups Contact Gillian Rooke Vector website: http://www.vector-magazine.co.uk Southview, Pilgrims Lane Editor’s blog: http://vectoreditors.wordpress.com Chilham, Kent CT4 8AB Vector Features, Editorial Niall Harrison and Letters: 73 Sunderland Avenue Other BSFA publications Oxford OX2 8DT Focus: The writer’s magazine of the BSFA Book Reviews: Martin Lewis Editor Martin McGrath 14 Antony House 48 Spooners Drive, Pembury Place Park Street, London, E5 8GZ St Albans, AL2 2HL Production: Anna Feruglio Dal Dan [email protected] [email protected] Published by the BSFA @2010ISSN 05050448 Matrix: The news magazine of the BSFA All opinions are those of the individual contributors and should not Editor Ian Whates necessarily be taken as the views of the BSFA. [email protected] VECTOR 264 – AUTUMN 2010 Torque Control don’t know about anyone else, but I’ve been having [email protected], providing a CV and writing sample. a good science-fictional summer. For the first time – Before that, however, there’s a science-fictional autumn Inot just the first time since 2005, but the first time ever to look forward to. China Mieville is a Guest Director of – I found myself properly enjoying Doctor Who, carried the Cheltenham Literary Festival this year, which means along by the magnetism of Matt Smith’s performance. there’s a spate of sf-related programming to look forward I caught up with the first season of Misfits, which turns to; you can browse the full programme on the festival out to be not nearly as Torchwood as its ASBO-kids-with- website, but highlights for me include panel discussions superpowers premise suggests, and able to shift from of the work of Orwell (Friday 8 October, 13.00), Wyndham drama to comedy to horror and back again with an agility (Friday 15th, 12.30) and Wells (Friday 15th, 15.30), a that reminded me of nothing so much as early Buffy. I’ve “How to Read Science Fiction” discussion with M John just read, back to back, two interesting, ambitious books Harrison, Nalo Hopkinson and Toby Litt (Saturday 16th, that I won’t be surprised to see getting awards attention 12.00), a debate about British sf with Iain Banks, Gwyneth next year. Unfortunately I haven’t yet managed to boil Jones, China Mieville and Michael Moorcock (Sunday either Francis Spufford’s Red Plenty or Charles Yu’s How 17th, 16.00), and China Mieville asking John Mullan why to Live Safely in a Science-Fictional Universe down to a there’s never any sf on the Booker shortlist (Saturday soundbite yet, but both are well worth your time. (Ken 16th, 14.00). MacLeod’s blurb for Red Plenty is pretty good, actually: Meanwhile, at Torque Control, throughout the “It’s like a science fiction novel by Kim Stanley Robinson autumn I’ll be running another series of weekly short or Ursula Le Guin, set in the Soviet sixties.”) At the story discussions – you can find the schedule, and links cinema, I enjoyed Inception as a more than averagely to the discussions so far, at < http://is.gd/ewAq3>. demanding blockbuster – and perhaps a warning never to And before that, there’s this issue of Vector to keep trust stories – and am fervently hoping that Scott Pilgrim you busy. There’s no theme this time (at least, not one vs. the World can live up to the joyfulness of Bryan Lee that I could find; write-in suggestions are welcomed). O’Malley’s graphic novels. And the BSFA/SF Foundation So in addition to the usual reviews and columns: Lara AGM event, held this year at the Royal Astronomical Buckerton takes us on a tour of the science and science Society’s HQ in London, featuring guests Rob Shearman fiction of warfare, in an extended consideration of Antoine and Malcolm Edwards, was a great success, not least for Bousquet’s The Scientific Way of Warfare and several sf texts, the tour of the RAS library at the end of the day. including Adam Roberts’ New Model Army. Felix Danczak And for the second time, I was a student at the explores the influence of TS Eliot’s The Waste Land on SFF’s Masterclass in SF Criticism. For those who don’t the sf of Iain Banks, and finds resonances you might not know, the Masterclass is an annual three-day course, an immediately expect. And there’s a transcript of a panel opportunity to explore different approaches to discussing discussion from this year’s Eastercon, wherein Claire sf, and an all-round intense, energising experience. Topics Brialey, David Hebblethwaite, John Jarrold, Caroline this year included: what makes a “classic”; examined an Mullan tell me what they thought of the BSFA/Mexicon unexamined exclusions from narrative; whether there is survey of British sf writers that all BSFA members should such a thing as essentially science-fictional music; to what have received at the start of the year. extent posthumanism is the central topic in contemporary Last but not least, an announcement. At the end of this sf that must be acknowledged or at least reacted to; the year, I will be standing down as Vector’s features editor, characteristics of science fantasy; the differences between which means this is my penultimate issue. It’s been a UK and US New Wave; and in the course of the above, pleasure and a privilege working on Vector for the last five enthusiastic debate of a pre-assigned reading list that years – many thanks to everyone else who worked on it I have to thank for finally prompting me to read Mary during that time, to everyone who wrote an article or a Gentle’s Golden Witchbreed, surely one of the best sf novels review or a letter of comment, and to everyone that’s been of the 1980s (and surely ripe for Gollancz Masterwork reading. But it feels like the right time to let someone else status). Further thanks must go to this year’s tutors, have a go, and I have no doubt that the incoming editor, Istvan Csicsery-Ronay Jr, Roz Kaveney, and Liz Williams; Shana Worthen, will take Vector on to new and greater and to all the other attendees for making the discussion so things. friendly, thorough, enjoyable and wide-ranging. As to why I’m making the announcement now: If that’s whet your appetite, the details of next year’s next issue is going to be a special focusing on the work Masterclass have been announced. It will take place from of Stephen Baxter, and I’m hoping it will be so full to 1 July to 3 July at the Hendon Campus of Middlesex bursting that there won’t even be space for an editorial. University in London, and the tutors will be Paul See you then, and then goodbye. McAuley, Claire Brialey, and Mark Bould. Delegate costs will be £180 per person, excluding accommodation, and NIALL HARRISON applications should write to Farah Mendlesohn at farah. EDITOR 3 AUTUMN 2010 – VECTOR 264 BSFA AWARDS I Declare These Here 2010 Awards... Open! Donna Scott I can scarcely believe that a whole year has passed, but Best Novel it’s time to officially open the nominations for the BSFA The Best Novel award is open to any novel-length work Awards once more. So, picture me wearing some kind of of science fiction or fantasy that has been published hat with netting on it (safety first!), standing across from in the UK for the first time in 2010. (Serialised novels the Good Ship BSFA Awards, with a bottle of something are eligible, provided that the publication date of lovely bubbly, and saying, in my best Helen Mirren voice, the concluding part is in 2010). If a novel has been “I hereby declare the 2010 BSFA Awards – (smash, tinkle) previously published elsewhere, but it hasn’t been – open!” published in the UK until 2010, it is eligible. So, now it’s up to you. We had a very impressive Best Short Fiction number of nominations last year, practically doubling the The Best Short Fiction award is open to any shorter previous year’s total.