Brum Group News The Monthly Newsletter of the BIRMINGHAM SCIENCE FICTION GROUP MARCH 2021 Issue 594 Honorary President: CHRISTOPHER PRIEST Committee: Carol Goodwin (Chair); Pat Brown (Treasurer); Dave Corby (secretary); Theresa Derwin (Publicity Officer); Carol Goodwin (Newsletter Editor); Ian Morley (Membership Secretary); Novacon 50 Chair: Alice Lawson & Tony Berry website: Email: www.birminghamsfgroup.org.uk [email protected] Facebook: Twitter: www.facebook.com/groups/ @BirminghamSF BirminghamSFGroup Prof. Ian Stewart March 12th at 7:45 pm This month’s meeting, (which will be online) we are delighted to be able to welcome back a long-time member of the BSFG, Professor Ian Stewart. He was due to talk to us in March last year, but unfortunately was unable to appear due to the Coronavirus situation. He has talked to the group on previous occasions, and is always very interesting and informative. He will be talking to us about “Calculating the Cosmos”. This will look at the relationships between mathematics and astronomy. His talk will look at some of the highs and lows of their interactions, some of the more unusual April 9th – SFF Author, Una McCormack astronomical discoveries of recent times, and problems with both the long-established Big Bang Theory and the search for Dark Matter. Professor Ian Stewart is a mathematician, science-fiction and science-fact author as well as being Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick. He has published more than 120 books and has five honorary doctorates and is an honorary wizard of Unseen University on Discworld. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society and recipient of many awards and medals including the Royal Society’s Faraday Medal, the AAAS Public Understanding of Science and Technology Award, and the Lewis Thomas Prize for Writing about Science (awarded by Rockefeller University) which recognised scientists who have accomplished a significant literary achievement. He is an active research mathematician with over 200 published papers, and currently works on pattern formation, chaos, network dynamics, and biomathematics. In 1997 he gave the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures and repeated them in Japan. The final lecture began by bringing a live tiger into the lecture room! He has made nearly 450 radio broadcasts and 80 television appearances. He has also contributed to a wide range of newspapers and magazines including New Scientist and Scientific American, and was also the mathematics consultant for New Scientist. He is also an SF author, having a number of published short stories and has co-written a number of science fiction novels; WHEELERS and HEAVEN (co-written with Dr Jack Cohen), THE LIVING LABYRINTH and ROCK STAR (with Tim Poston) and JACK OF ALL TRADES. He has also collaborated with Dr Jack Cohen and Sir Terry Pratchett in producing the four The Science of Discworld books, of which the first was shortlisted for a Hugo. He and Jack Cohen were made “Honorary Wizards of Unseen University” by Terry Pratchett in 1999 at the same time as the University of Warwick gave Sir Terry his honorary degree. He tweets as @JoatStewart and further details are on his website, https://ianstewartjoat.weebly.com/ CG ONLINE MEETING – HOW TO JOIN IN As some of you may be unsure or wary of using Zoom, Ian Morley has prepared a video on YouTube that shows how easy it is to join a meeting and we urge our members to take a look and have a go, and look forward to seeing you sometime, even if it is only virtual. The 2 video is accessible via the Group website or directly on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpeYaUHDU5w The March 12th meeting will take place on Zoom. We will send an email with all the info you need to join the meeting to all members nearer the time. To login either copy the link into your web-browser or if you have Zoom, use the Meeting ID and Password. BRITISH FANTASY AWARDS The 2020 British Fantasy Award winners were announced on February 22nd. The ceremony was online and you can watch a recording at youtube.com/watch?v=HRALc4pH3Sg Best Fantasy Novel (Robert Holdstock Award): THE BONE SHIPS by R J Barker (Orbit) Best Horror Novel (August Derleth Award): THE REDDENING by Adam Nevill (Ritual Limited) Best Short Fiction: "The Pain-Eater’s Daughter" by Laura Mauro (Undertow) Best Novella: ORMESHADOW by Priya Sharma (Tor.dot.com) Best Anthology: NEW SUNS: Original Speculative Fiction for People of Colour edited by Nisi Shawl (Solaris) Best Collection: SING YOUR SADNESS DEEP by Lauro Mauro (Undertow) Best Independent Press: Rebellion Publishing Best Comic/Graphic novel: DIE by Kieron Gillen & Stephanie Hans (Image) Best Artist: Ben Baldwin Best non-fiction: THE DARK FANTASTIC: Race and the Imagination from Harry Potter to the Hunger Games by Ebony Elizabeth Thomas (New York University Press) Best Magazine/Periodical: Fiyah Best Film/Television production: US by Jordan Peele (Monkeypaw Productions) Best Audio: Podcastle Podcast Best Newcomer (the Sydney J Bounds Award): Ta-Nehisi Coates for THE WATER DANCER (Penguin) BFS Special Award (Karl Edward Wagner): Craig Lockley 3 BSFA AWARD NOMINATIONS – Novels The shortlist for the British Science Fiction Association Awards have been announced. The winners will be announced at ConFusion (Eastercon 2021) online from 2nd - 5th April. Details for other categories can be found at www.bsfa.co.uk/the-bsfa-awards-2020- shortlist/. (NB There was a multiple tie for fifth place. The committee decided that all nominees would be included). THREADING THE LABYRINTH by Tiffani Angus (Unsung Stories) PIRANESI by Susanna Clarke (Bloomsbury) THE SUNKEN LAND BEGINS TO RISE by M John Harrison THE CITY WE BECAME by N K Jemisin (Orbit) LIGHT OF IMPOSSIBLE STARS by Gareth Powell (Titan) THE MINISTRY FOR THE FUTURE by Kim Stanley Robinson (Orbit) CLUB DED by Nikhil Singh (Luna Press) THE DOORS OF EDEN by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Tor) COMET WEATHER by Liz Williams (Newcon Press) WATER MUST FALL by Nick Wood (Newcon Press) AND WHAT DID YOU THINK? THE LETTER COLUMN OF ‘BRUM GROUP NEWS Anything to say about the Group, meetings or SF in general? Email your opinions or queries to me at [email protected] STAR TREK CONTINUES IAN MORLEY Readers might be interested in the following fan-based rehashing of Star Trek: TOS called Star Trek Continues. Episodes are on YouTube (link below). I know that the word fan conjurers up visions of a poor execution. However, it is brilliant, it looks and feels just like the original, with famous guest stars in minor roles, and James Doohan’s (“Scotty”) son playing Scotty. I thought it might be some entertaining fake nostalgia for our members to finish off lockdown. www.youtube.com/results?search_query=star+trek+continues+full+episodes RED FLAME PUZZLE VERNON BROWN While waiting for landing permission, Red contacted his next client and arranged to be picked up at 1pm. However, landing formalities went quicker than expected and Red was at the spaceport exit by 12 noon, so he 4 decided to walk to meet his client, who knew him, along the road. They met and arrived back at the client’s office fifteen minutes earlier than had been expected, with the client’s car travelling each way at a steady 30mph. How fast had Red walked, to the nearest whole number? (Answer is on a later page) FORTHCOMING BOOKS (NB Prices given are Recommended Retail Price and may be available at cheaper prices). At the moment, given the situation, many publishers are changing the release dates on new books at short notice. The publication dates given below are correct to the best of my knowledge, but may change. WHAT ABIGAIL DID THAT SUMMER (Rivers of London) by Ben Aaronovitch / Gollancz / 208 pgs / £12.99 hardback / ISBN 978- 1473224346 / March 18th. Aided by talking foxes, Peter Grant’s cousin, Abigail searches for who or what is luring away teens in Hampstead. SKYWARD INN by Aliya Whiteley / Solaris / 336 pgs / £15.21 hardback / ISBN 978-1781088821 / March 18th. SF. Two veterans of interplanetary war run a remote inn. But secrets from the past threaten their peaceful retreat. THE FALL OF KOLI (The Rampart 3) by M R Carey / Orbit / 560 pgs / £9.99 paperback / ISBN 978-0356513508 / March 25th. SF. Koli and his allies unearth truths about an ancient war… that may never have ended. SPACEWORLDS: Stories of Life in the Void 17 edited by Mike Ashley / British Library Publishing / 336 pgs / £9.99 paperback / ISBN 978- 5 0712353090 / March 25th. SF. A collection of classic SF stories themed around spacecraft and space stations. THE DIFFICULT LOVES OF MARIA MAKILING by Wayne Santos / Solaris / 160 pgs / £12.99 paperback (Signed Ltd Edition) / ISBN ?? / March 26th. Maria is a videogame concept artist, a Philippine goddess, and in love. Being in love is her biggest problem! (Solaris Satellite novella) SISTERSONG by Lucy Holland / Macmillan / 416 pgs / £25 hardback / ISBN 978-1529039030 / April 1st. Set in an ancient, magical Britain, a tale of three siblings and three deadly sins. THE BEST OF WORLD SF: Vol 1 ed by Lavie Tidhar / Head of Zeus / 624 pgs / £18.99 hardback / ISBN 978-1838937645 / April 1st. SF. Twenty-six SF stories by authors from 25 countries and five continents. THE LOOP by Jeremy Robert Johnson / Titan Books / 368 pgs / £8.99 paperback / ISBN 978-1789097252 / April 6th. A small group struggle to survive the night when a science experiment goes wrong. CG FILM RELEASES Although cinemas are closed at present some films are still being released. They may possibly be shown on streaming channels. Listings should not be necessarily taken as recommendations. Release dates are very subject to change.