£1.25 161 :> June/July 1991 The Critical Journal Of The British Science Fiction Association 1990: Best Five Books Best Short Fiction Arthur C Clarke Award Colin Greenland Interview Plus: Reviews Letters VECTOR 161 June/July 1991 :::) Issue 161 Contents 3 Editorial 4 Letters 5 Colin Greenland Interview 8 1990: The Best Five Books 12 Some Thoughts about the Arthur C Clarke Award 14 Book Reviews 23 Index to Books reviewed Back Cover 1990: Best Short Fiction C1>Edltora: catteK~~:;cv~: ~r;a~a:~~~~~~:. ~?i2 sffN~~agg2349 Reviewa Editor. Chrta Amlea 56 More Close, SI Paul's Court, Lo,-,, W14 98N Production AM-nta: Camilla Pomeroy, Alan Johnson T~~h~~:.s~~: Prtnted by POC Copyprlnt. 11 Jeffrie• Pauage, Gulldford, Surrey, GU1 4AP Vector la published bimonthly by the BSFA C 1991 All op,nions expressed in Vector are those of the individual contributors and must not be taken to represent those of the Editors Of the BSFA except where expllcilly stated. k,nq~c:~~~=i:~=:1W::~d~:~=J:1sdu==~-t~r~S5M~~w~ without an SAE. Please note that there is no payment tor pobbcation Members who wish to review books must first write to the Edito,s Artl8ts: Cover Art. llustrations and tilers are always welcome. Adnrtbllng: Atl advertising copy must be submtted as b/W camera-ready artwork with al necessary halftones n..-s,,,.,---Ud- C-,..,~ltlta-- ~NDWt~ Aoglooe,N-· IO~A,ed.,,.,.,._,,.,Kara..CTIIS,l,l VECTOR 161 Editorial By Kev McVeigh Roy Hattcrslcy MP, the deputy leader of readily remember going off to war (either Bcnidorm QnCC, I sec no point in going the Labour Party, appeared on BBC TVs WWII or ViclJlam) but it induces a again every year. book review prognlfflme Speaking complacency which is very dangerous, as Volumes, last year. As with most of the dangerous as the jingoism of tabloid guests on that programme, I agreed with a ncwspape~. portion of his remarks though by no means all, but there was one remark which 11y Elsewhere fanlasy takes somebody Boyd Parkinson Quits in stant response was to deride, until he else's myths at surface value and sends the explained and I thought turther. The book in same all-american boy, the same Boyd Parkinson who has question was The Book Of Fantasy, dependable,amiable peasant lad oul on the edited by the late Jorge Luis Borges and same quests. Oh sometimes the lad grow5 edited this magazine with me for others, which was justly well-received by breasts and has a girl'5 name, but U5ually the la,;t 10 issues resigned after the panel. Hattc~ly shared this view but one 5he can disguise as a boy 's for she 's completing the last issue, due to expressed die opinion that so much never particularly buxom either, but it all pressure of work. fantasy and the majority of that collccrion goes down rhe same way. Life at home is seemed to be about what happens in other dull but safe. abroad there are adventures, Over the last two years I've countries. He cited Borges, Bradbury and and afterwards home is where the hean(h) received dozens of letters which Kipling in defense o1 this claim. but there is. include complimentary remarks an:manyothercxamples. about Vector's appearance. Al And then, there are fantasies which are It is perhaps unfortunate in many really mainstream novels bocausc the co.nventions, people say s imilar respectS that Fantasy literature soems to be "fantastic" elemenc is Ellally an event that things. It is always nice to be defined by 1he ple1hora of reactionary posl­ the character experiencing it must justly be praised, but it ought to go to the Tolkit:nists producing right-wing lrilogies expected to bdieve in reality. For instance, right person. of linle imaginative merit pushed out by in Michaela Roessner's excellent lary editors who seek: only short term aboriginal novel Walkaboal Womaa When Boyd and I were brought profits. In so many ofth~ series we find the young aborigine woman believes in the to~cthcr with the intention of an ostensibly working-class hero thrusl Dreamtime, she believes in the spirits, and editing Vector we dabbled in into adventure to rescue the heroine and the thus when they speak to her, when s~e various production methods, but country fTom the evil d111k lord who never enters the Dreaming, it is reali1y. It 1s eventually Boyd determined that seems 10 come from the South or the Wes! ronscnsus - it doesn't mailer that the reader for. some n;:ason, At the end of this morally doesn't ordinarily believe, whal is for the magazine to look the way naiwe conceit the hero is welcomed as the necessary is th ;i.! the reader understands we wanted it needed to be done long-lost son of the old king, he marries the that thoogh it may be delusory, for the 115ing his DTP facilities, and from princess and the trilogy closes. (until the character it is real. Again however this that point on all design and author is persuaded to kidnap the child of involves an alien culture for its alleged production work was controlled thishappyunionandanotherqucstensucs lanta~y. In other novels, the other land by Boyd. The excellent results he but that's another story - or it would be if might be the mind, the nightmare of a young achieved were rhc result of many any of th ese writers had the talent to tell girl in Palricia Geary's S1raage Toys or all-night sessions, a lot of hard many of Philip K Dick's works. more than one s1ory.) If this doesn't sound work and some very good ideas. 100 much like Tile Loni Or Tile .RJags, think aboul the v111ious sub-plots There is a great deal more to fantasy, of invQ lving Aragom. I llXlOmmend an essay course. than the Tolkienists. OJtin Of course we still discussed by M John Harrison trom New Wodch Greenland puts forward the view that Vector·s layouts - I had my own Qoutedy, entilled "Out of Tennyson by Lewis Carroll might be a lx'ller model; I'd thoughts, but in the main, I liked Disney'' in which Che author calmly, suggest thal everything which exists Boyd's ideas and all credit should rca'>Onedly and forccfuUy trashes Tollr.icn 's outside our everyday existence becomes be his. He worked hard, oflcn opus as lacking substance, haclr.ncyaJ and fantasy. Shakespeare's Hamlet is a fantasy under difficult conditions and ultimately trite. I felt somewhat hun, with ghosts, Jeanette Winte':'On 's novels without him I wouldn't have include multiple past reaHues, William almost betrayed, the forst time I read lhis managed one issue let alone 10 after maybe a dozen re-readings of Dr Gibson's Count Zero involves voodoo Loni of the Rlqs, but as I read some of gods within an al1emate reality ~led stylish and attractive magazines. the other WQrks Harrison uses in his case I cyberspace (which Harry Hamson bcg11J1 to see the tmth of it. Years later and endeavoured to relate to the soul), and Tim Thank you Boyd. many hack trilogies on, I soc Hattendy·s Powers uSt-'S Lhe past and literature itself as point too. In Tolkien s two principal interactive foreign lands. It all comes back As of this issue, Catie Cary. who novels the hobbits leave home for foreign to Roy Hane~ly's remark: Fant.asy is about has been one of our production hmds, have adventures and retum m minor wmewhere else. In which case, we have assistants over the last two problems which a,re soon resolved in time package holidays oo Benidonn as the years, will be taking over from for tea by the fireside in their slippen; with standard fani.asy trilogy, or we have Boyd. a pipe and life goes on as normal. This may unchaned territories 10 explore. Each has be very reassuring to a generation who can il5 value, but I know that having been lo 4 VECTOR 161 On Spec 1hcy imagine ii was expected of From Cn:ig Manioc! them to comment on a book in a certain way, which is where we Just a short no1c on Vector stan wading into the mirky walcrs 159. Of the three main artklcs, I of Reputation. U) enjoyed the Gibson/Sterling h should be recognised that if a "Homo-Ero1oc:ism ... " lhC most. rev.ewer shouts opinions long and 115 a pity the fire alarm went off loud enough they will aurac:1 a and put paid 10 a very fun and rcputa1ion and herein lies the inlcrcsting conversation. problem: Once the reputtnion is ,, As for the other two pieces: In achieved. is the reviewer sail! his "Cybcr• and some 01her • offering a balanced opinion or arc Spatial Metaphors", K V Bailey they pandering to their reputation? writes that ··Spccuhuion'". as in Wu that put down of a book speculative fiction, shares origins warranted by the reviewer, or was with Latin ~or (z obsavor) ii said because it was apttt~d Cl) from the reputation they have built ~! ~'"':.,o~,.m~~~~. Sowh~~ "P' accurately describes his article. Naturall y reviewers pick up a following; they an a guide 10 , :~~~fead,is ~~ly thi!n1cll~~1 a,:10~ decid ing when to purchase or not. I translate in10 an intelligible o r If a reader agrees with a reviewer's co_mmcnts on previous books they , ~:=-~t :rc:cnt. thisThe p:un~~ will trust that opinion in !he rambling stuff might possibly future and similarly if they don, I make sense is the one between his agree lhcn they won\ believe the ....