Vector #245 • January/February 2005 » £2.50 The Critical Journal of the British Science Fiction Association Genre Evolution? Vector 245 The critical journal of the British Science Fiction Association Contents The British Science Fiction Association Officers Torque Control 3 Editorial by Niall Harrison & Geneva Melzack President Sir Arthur C. Clarke, CBE The Mundane Manifesto 4 Vice President Stephen Baxter The Mundanes set out their stall Chair Pat McMurray Frequently Asked Questions 5 [email protected] about Mundane SF Treasurer Martin Potts By Trent Walters 61 Ivy Croft Road, Warton, Near Tamworth B79 0JJ A Refusal to Sign the Mundane 7 [email protected] Manifesto Membership Estelle Roberts By Ian McDonald Services 97 Sharp Street, Newland Avenue, Hull (UK & Europe) HU5 2AE No More New World Orders 9 [email protected] By Martin Lewis on movements in sf US Agent Cy Chauvin Not Really New, Not Really Weird 12 14248 Willfred Street, Detroit, MI 48213, USA Norman Spinrad on a recent 'movement' Membership fees Infernokrusher: A Brief and 16 UK £26 pa, or £18pa (unwaged) Life membership £260 Terrible History Europe £31 pa An elegy by Meghan McCarron USA $35 pa (surface mail) The New X 17 $45 pa (airmail) Rest of the World A column by Graham Sleight £31 pa (surface mail) £37 pa (airmail) Archipelago 19 UK and Europe, make cheques payable to: BSFA Ltd and send to Estelle Reviews of short sf Roberts at the address above. US cheques payable to: Cy Chauvin (BSFA) First Impressions 23 The BSFA was founded in 1958 and is a non-profitmaking organisation entirely staffed by unpaid volunteers. Registered in England. Limited by Book Reviews edited by Paul N. Billinger guarantee. Company No. 9215000. Registered Address: 1 Long Row Close, Everdon, Daventry NN11 3BE Cover: SEM image of Distorted trichomes in the distorted 1 Arabidopsis mutant. Image © Jaideep Mathur Website www.bsfa.co.uk Webmistress Tanya Brown amaranth® amaranth.aviators.net Vector BSFA Awards Claire Brialey 59 Shirley Road, Croydon, Surrey CR0 7ES Editors awards @ fishlifter.demon.co.uk Orbiter Writing Gillian Rooke Features, Editorial Geneva Melzack & Niall Harrison Groups Southview, Pilgrims Lane, Chilham, Kent, and Letters Flat 6, Arvon House, 3 Boyn Hill Avenue, CT4 8AB Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 4ET [email protected] Other BSFA Publications Book Reviews Paul N. Billinger Matrix: The news magazine of the BSFA 1 Long Row Close, Everdon, Daventry Commissioning NN11 3BE Tom Hunter Editor [email protected] 46 Saltwell Street, London, E14 0DZ [email protected] Production and Tony Cullen Features & News General 16 Weaver's Way, Camden, London Claire Weaver Editor NW1 0XE 17 Clandon Street, St Johns, London SE8 4EL [email protected] [email protected] Production & Media Associate Editor Tanya Brown Martin McGrath Editor amaranth@ amaranth.aviators.net 48 Spooners Drive, Park Street, St Albans, AL2 2HL Published by the BSFA ©2006 ISSN 0505 0448 [email protected] Focus: The writer's magazine of the BSFA All opinions are those of the individual contributors and should not necessarily be taken as the views of the editors or the BSFA Editor Simon Morden 13 Egremont Drive, Sherriff Hill, Gateshead Printed by PDC Copyprint (Guildford), Middle Unit, 77-83 NE9 5SE Walnut Tree Close, Guildford, Surrey GU1 4UH [email protected] January/February 2006 • Vector 245 t last year's BSFA AGM, Ian McDonald magazine and Matrix, we're still relative gave a talk on genre manifestos. We'd newcomers to the BSFA, and we're only just just been asked whether we'd be joining the Vec tor editorial team with this Aprepared to take over as editors of issue, following in the illustrious footsteps of Vector and, having said yes, we were pondering Andrew M. Butler, under whose guidance what to do with our first issue. Running an Vector was the sort of magazine we discovered issue on manifestos seemed like a good way to we wanted to read - and edit. We are look at how the field has been and continues to conscious of the journal’s history and eager to be shaped by visionaries within its ranks, the carry on its tradition of informed critical sort of shaping process that is perhaps not too debate. Of course, at the same time, part of different from the shaping work that an editor maintaining the standard of a magazine of this aspires to do. As a statement of intentions, a sort involves innovation, and with that in manifesto is a not a million miles away from an mind, in addition to our already-stated goals editorial stance. So it seemed an appropriate of reporting from BSFA events and topic for our first issue. And since one of our encouraging discussion of contemporary sf, editorial stances with Vector is that we'd like to we’d like to introduce two new features. use it to bring more of the BSFA's London-based ‘Morning Children' is the first instalment of events to the rest of its membership, when Paul The New X, a regular column from Graham Billinger suggested asking McDonald to write Sleight, the incoming editor of Foundation, up his talk, we took the idea and ran with it. whose other criticism and reviews have Although McDonald talked about previously appeared in a wide range of manifestos in general, he illustrated his venues. This issue he’s looking at movements argument by examining one particular recent as well, and asking how the internet might example - the mundane sf manifesto, as affect the way they develop. proposed by Geoff Ryman - and that's what his In the past, Vector has featured magazine write-up here addresses. To balance reviews, but we hope the new McDonald's refusal to sign the mundane Archipelagosection will provide a forum for manifesto, despite the fact that some of his detailed analysis of individual stories. We are, books could be characterised as mundane, we however, launching it in sad circumstances. If decided to also include the case in favour of the you hadn’t heard, by the time you read this, movement, as put forward by one of its most SCIFICTION, Ellen Datlow's Hugo- and enthusiastic advocates, Trent Walters. And since Nebula-award winning online short fiction mundane is a movement that has been, to date, magazine, will have been closed down. To primarily discussed in online venues, this issue celebrate the magazine and its editor, writer opens with the full text of the mundane Dave Schwartz called for appreciations of all manifesto itself and some links to further the many excellent stories published there commentary of interest. over the past five years. We’re proud to be able Together we think McDonald's and Walters' to reprint a selection of these appreciations in articles outline many of the pros and cons of this issue of Vector, by Claire Light, Abigail aligning oneself with a particular cause - a Nussbaum, Campbell Award-winning author question examined further by Martin Lewis in Elizabeth Bear, and Arthur C. Clarke Award ‘No More New World Orders', which asks more administrator and critic Paul Kincaid. We’re generally what movements in science fiction particularly happy to be able to include have ever done for us, by looking at some something by Paul in our first Satellites famous examples through their most prominent section, since Paul was the original editor of texts. Moving from this sort of historical Barb ed Wire Kisses , Vector’s earlier magazine overview to focus in a little more on the review column. contemporary scene - which is something we'd As well as these new features, we’d also like to be doing in Vector on an ongoing basis - like to make sure our Vector is a magazine the in this issue we're also including a piece by next editors want to read, and we can’t think Norman Spinrad, in which he considers a of a better way of doing that than encouraging Editorial number of recent titles in light of that other your feedback and your contributions. Praise, major contemporary movement, the New vitriol and ideas for future articles should be by Weird. And Meghan McCarron provides a brief sent to [email protected]. To spark and terrible history of infernokrusher, perhaps some ideas off in you, later this year we’re Geneva the shortest-lived but most explosive movement planning issues focusing on internationalism that the sf community has ever seen. in sf and on twenty years of the Arthur C. Melzack But before you go and read everyone else's Clarke Award - and of course, next issue is the manifestos, we thought we should set out our regular Vec tor review of the previous year in & Niall own. After all, although you may recognise our sf. We look forward to hearing from you. |V names from the reviews sections of this Harrison 3 Vector 245 • January/February 2006 The Mundane Manifesto The undersigned, being pissed off and needing a tight girdle of We also recognize discipline to restrain our sf imaginative silhouettes, are The harmless fun that these and all the other Stupidities temporarily united in the following actions: have brought to millions of people. The harmless fun that burning the Stupidities will bring The Mundanes recognize to millions of people. That interstellar travel remains unlikely. Warp drives, The imaginative challenge that awaits any sf author worm holes, and other forms of faster-than-light magic are who accepts that this is it: Earth is all we have. What will wish fulfilment fantasies rather than serious speculation we do with it? about a possible future.