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First Contact the Newsletter of the Irish Science Fiction Association June/Julv 1996 ISSN 0791-3966

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First Contact the Newsletter of the Irish Science Fiction Association June/Julv 1996 ISSN 0791-3966 / First Contact The Newsletter of the Irish Science Fiction Association June/Julv 1996 ISSN 0791-3966 Octocon Adds More Guests (Again) What? More guest? ‘Tis true. I’m afraid. Octocon is beginning to look as if it’ll have more guests than attendees, what with publishers lining up to send their favoured authors along. So who’s the latest, you might ask. None other than Stephen Lawhead, author of one of the few Arthurian fantasy series worth reading. Check out Taliesin (sorry' about the possibly dubious spelling; inv copy's hidden under a zillion other books and I’m relying on memory) in the book shop near you. I realise that I’m wasting my time as anyone who has the slightest interest in SF in Ireland is already signed up, but if you’re one of the select few that decided to wait until July before joining, send your cheques, requests for information or whatever to Octocon ’96 30, South Circular Road Dublin 8 Needless to bother to mention (but I will anyway), those nice Octconnies are also contactable by e-mail, so point your POP to [email protected]. God. I hate ending sentences with e-mail addresses. You can be sure that someone’s going to assume the full stop is part of the address. Well, it isn’t. Okay? The Best Thing on Television Gets Better 1 Can you imagine those bastards in Channel 4 postponing Babylon 5 for a bleeding bicycle race? Well, I won’t stoop to name-calling (much), but I’ve got to confess to being a trifle peeved. I mean, we’re talking about Babylon 5. The finest series ever made. The coolest programme to ever appear on a cathode ray tube. The best possible way to spend a Sunday evening between 7:00 and 8:00pm (I’m assuming that you're watching The Simpsons and taping B5, here). If you’re not watching it, then start soon. The very next episode, in fact. Channel 4, 6:05pm, Sundays. As soon as the cycling is over. In a packed programme tonight Inside this issue of First Contact... Adam Darcy brings us the nearly ultimate guide to Babylon 5. Did I mention that it’s the best thing on television at the moment? Doctor Who is back, and he's using a Stephen Hawking slogan. But is the new film any good? Your editor thinks it’s great. But what’s the card game like? Savage Dragon on CD-ROM; the future of comics? Ghost in the Shell : The best SF film of the year - and it’s a cartoon. Editorial Contents Once again, you hold in your hands News (turn the page) 3 a double issue. I'm beginning to think that the newsletter is better as a bi-monthly Babylon 5 Guide (trust me. 5 effort: it looks a bit farty as an A5. and it You want to watch this seems somewhat scant as an A4 if there are programme) fewer than 20 pages. So as your fingers Comics Review (James Bacon 9 grasp the veritable wad of pages, ponder does his thang). and let me know the outcome. Top Ten Books ( the long- 10 On a completely different snickers, awaited list of Adam Darcy) let me talk briefly on the subject of Japanese animation. You know, anime. Card Games (Netrunner. 11 Hey, don't stop reading. Yeah. you. You Alliances and Doctor Who know who you are. reviewed) It seems that there's a significant Video Reviews 13 number of people out there who. when I ask them if they read the last issue, say Con Reports 15 something along the lines of “yeah, except for the comics and anime of course.” Now Book Reviews 18 it’s your magazine and you're free to read what you will, but that strikes me as a Zine review 22 remarkably silly attitude. Confusing the medium with the message means that your missing on some of the best SF going; if First Contact is published Monthly by you don’t read comics, you’re missing out The Irish Science Fiction Association 30, Beverly Downs on Preacher. You've probably never read Knocklyon Road Watchmen. The Dark Knight Returns, but Dublin 16 not to you. And if you don’t watch anime, e-mail [email protected] you’ll miss out on Ghost in the Shell, one newsletter : rde(a).irelands-web.ie of the best SF films to appear this year. So from now on. no anime reviews (yeah. I know there haven't been any in a You know. I'm getting sick of putting the indicia on the while, but there won't be any more). I'm bottom of the page. I mean, show me the rule that says it has sticking the anime in with other video or to be on the bottom of the page. Well, sod that. It’s going on cinema reviews; I’m not going to the cover next month. Right on the cover it’ll declare that which we hold to be self-evident; that all writers are created differentiate. And if you find yourself equal, and anyone who writes for First Contact owns the thinking that a film sounds good only to copyright © 1996 on whatever it is they write. .And First Contact is Copyright© 1996 The Irish Science Fiction realise that it’s animated, do us both a Association. Hey, who says it has to be small, as well? favour and watch it. You might surprise That’s it. Eighteen point indicia on the cover next issue. Wait and see. I’ll write First Contact on die inside in eight yourself. point; that’ll show you. You’ll have to walk into Forbidden Planet and ask for a copy of ©1996. How’d you like that, Robert Elliott eh? rde@irelands-web. ie News Stableford Nominated Twice for Sturgeon it’s tentatively called “Stars and Stripes" and that Congrats to this year's Guest of Honour at it “features Ireland.” Make of that what you will. Octocon, Brian Stableford, for his two nominations for the 1996 Theodore Sturgeon Sci-Fi Channel Rescues MST3K, Sends to Memorial Award for Best Short Fiction of the Europe Year. The complete list of nominees is... Sci-Fi Channel has rescued the award­ winning comedy series Mystery Science Theater Aldridge, Ray -- "The Spine Divers" 3000 from cancellation, and will start broadcasting Bishop, Michael -- "I, Iscariot" new episodes next February .ALSTSA? will also be Chase, Robert R. -- "The Wellness Plague" telecast internationally for the first time,airing on Hoffman, Nina Kiriki — "Home for Christmas" Sci-Fi Europe (hooray!). On Sci-Fi Channel, each Kress, Nancy — "Fault Lines" episode of "MST3K" will feature a full-length Levinson, Paul — "The Chronology Protection science-fiction with accompanying comments by Case" the silhouetted trio of Mike Nelson, Crow T. McDaid, John D. — "Jigoku no Mokoshiroku" Robot and Tom Servo, plus skits and an Marusek, David — "We Were Out of Our Minds occasional original song. With Joy” Somtow, S.P. -- "Diamonds Aren't Forever" New Wheel of Time Arrives Stableford, Brian -- "The Age of Innocence" Finally! I thought it’d never arrive, but as Stableford, Brian -- "Mortimer Gray's History of you read this Crown of Swords should be in your Death” local bookshop. Assuming the didn’t order fewer than about a zillion copies, in which case they’ll be Both of Brian's nominations were for stories that sold out. Too bad. It seems, though, that he appeared in Asimov’s magazine. finished the book by doing a Douglas Adams; his publishers locked him in a hotel room and pages were shipped daily from the room to the New SF series in September publishers’ office. Those lovely people at NBC have just announced that it’s adding ‘Dark Skies, an SF Coming in July... drama about a couple saving humanity from alien You should find at least one or two of these invasion’ and ‘The Pretender, about a human interesting; they’re all due to be released during chameleon who is part fugitive and part hero in July... The Equalizer mold’ to its Saturday night lineup Silverlight-The Arcana Book II, (he, Baen) this Autumn. If the gods are willing, we should see Llywelyn & Scott them around December, although February looks Conquerers’ Legacy, Timothy Zahn more likely. Flow My Tears the Policeman Said, Philip K. Dick (reprint) Space : Above and Beyond Cancelled Helliconia Trilogy (one vol.), Brian W. Aldiss Big deal. Desperation, Stephen King King & Emperor, Harrison & Holm 3001 : The Final Odyssey Ringworld Throne, Larry Niven Yeah, it’s true. Del Rey will be publishing The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Heinlein (reprint the final Odyssey book later this year. Yippee. I’m (duh)) overcome. Does this mean I have to read Odyssey Honor Amongst Enemies, David Weber (yay!) Three again? New Harrison Trilogy After the success of his cool Viking trilogy, Harry Harrison has sold a new alternate reality trilogy to Del Rey. All they’ll say about it is that First Contact proudly tries to get around those ofyou who complain that you don’t know what’s going on with the ultimate guide to Babylon 5 Adam Darcy The Characters On Earth, empirical evidence of Introduction telepathic and telekinetic ability in Commander Jeffrey Sinclair humans was found. The Earth (Michael O'Hare): Born on Babylon 5 is an SF show with Alliance founded Psi-Corps to Mars and veteran of the Battle of the Line during the Earth- a difference - a television series protect and maintain the psychic Minbari War, Sinclair was an with a pre-planned, five-year community, and to guard the unexpected choice to command story "arc" structured along the privacy of the general public.
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