JANUARY 2002 ISSUE 364 Brum Honorary Presidents: BRIAN W ALDISS Group HARRY HARRISON Committee: News Vernon Brown (Chairman) Vicky Cook (Secretary) The Free Monthly Newsletter of the Alan Woodford (Treasurer) Rog Peyton (Newsletter Editor) BIRMINGHAM + Steve Jones & William McCabe SCIENCE FICTION GROUP NOVACON 31 Chairman: Tony Berry Friday 11th January Annual General Meeting of the Birmingham Science Fiction Group It’s THAT time of the year again! and be seated in plenty of time. The time that the current committee Non-members are welcome but may stands down after reporting on the not vote or voice opinions during the year’s activities and YOU get the AGM. chance to air your views and possibly stand for election to the new committee. Committee posts that you can stand for The evening will be chaired by our are:- Legal Officer, Tim Stannard. Chairman - needs to be a strong personality to keep the committee The meeting will take place in the meetings in order; has to introduce Lichfield room on the second floor of guest speakers at each meeting, so the Britannia Hotel, New Street should be articulate; has to make sure (entrance in Union Passageway that other members of the committee do opposite the Odeon). It will the jobs asked of them and if they fail to commence at 7.45pm so please arrive do so, ask (with the rest of the early, get your drinks from the bar committee’s approval), for their FEBRUARY 8TH MEETING - SF artist Fred Gambino will be talking to the Group and showing slides of his award-winning work. This is a rare chance to see his fabulous artwork and listen to the anecdotes surrounding them. l resignation and appoint a new person to NOVACON 32 to be held in November that post. 2002. The committee have already Secretary - needs to be able to take the approved this post. minutes of all committee meetings and (Note: Anyone wishing to chair type up in a presentable manner, NOVACON 33 in two year’s time sending copies to all other committee should approach the committee before members; write to guest speakers as September 2002). required. In addition - all committee members Treasurer - needs to be good with undertake to do the jobs they’ve figures; be at every meeting to take volunteered for; be able to attend entrance fees; keep check on all committee meetings throughout the members whose membership lapses and year; to assist in ideas for programme write to them asking to renew; organise and be willing to ensure that the Group the monthly raffles and produce the runs smoothly and profitably throughout annual accounts. the year. This may be only a hobby without any Newsletter Editor - has to produce a remuneration but by volunteering YOU newsletter every month (without fail!). are responsible to the whole member­ Ideally should have access to a ship. Failure to do the job you’ve computer, be able to spell (or know how volunteered for is letting down every and when to use a Spell Checker); be single member of the Group. So unless able to find and correlate any pieces of you’re committed to doing the job news; distribute review books and properly, please don’t stand for obtain reviews of those books for election. insertion in the newsletter. Ordinary Committee Members - two Anyone wishing to stand for election to required. These members have no any of the above posts should get a specific duties but are there to help out Group member to propose them and a when necessary. One of the members another member to second that will be responsible for the Group’s proposal. This may be done at the AGM website so needs to have Internet access itself. and a working knowledge of either HTML, a site design / management program, or both. Some skill with It’s Auction Time.... computer graphics and a reference to The formal part of the AGM will be details of future guests would be an followed (time allowing) by an advantage. AUCTION. So bring along any old books, magazines videos, etc., that you Novacon Chairman - this final no longer require. SF/fantasy/horror committee post is NOT one elected at items are preferred but if you’ve got the AGM. This post is approved by the any other items that you think we can ‘current’ committee each year for the have fun with, raise a few smiles (and, following year’s Novacon. This year lawdy, we all need a few more of Martin Tudor has volunteered to chair 2 those!) and more importantly, raise March 29 - April 1 2002 HELICON 2 some money for the Group funds. Hotel De France, St.Helier, Jersey, If every member brings at least one Channel Islands. £35 reg. Guests: Harry additional surprise item we can have Turtledove, Brian Stableford, Peter FUN! Weston. Contact: Helicon 2, 33 Meyrick Drive, Wash Common, FORTHCOMING EVENTS Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 6SY. Website is www: helicon.org.uk February 9 - REMENISCON FIFTY at the Hanover Hotel, Schooner Way, All details are correct to the best of our Cardiff. knowledge, we advise contacting organisers before travelling. Always enclose a stamped, Celebrating Lionel Fanthorpe’s 50 years self-addressed envelope when writing to any in print [I think they mean since his first of the above contact addresses. book was published. They certainly haven’t remained in print! - RGP]. Any information about forthcoming SF / 10am to 9.30pm followed by optional Fantasy / Horror events are always welcome - please send to me at dinner. Membership is £15 regular, £35 rog@rogpeyton. fsnet .co.uk, tell me about it with dinner or £60 including lunch, tea, in the shop or phone me at the shop on 0121 etc. Info from:- Fanthorpe Management 643 1999. Consultancy, 48 Claude Road, Roath, Cardiff, CF24 3QA, UK. 2000 WORLD FANTASY AWARDS E-mail [email protected] [Looks like he’s organising this one Life Achievement himself!!! If anyone from the Group Philip Jose Farmer attends this event, will you please send a Frank Frazetta write-up to the Brum Group Newsletter. Best Novel (tie) Thanks -RGP] DECLARE - Tim Powers GALVESTON - Sean Stewart February 15-17 - BOSKONE 39 at the Sheraton Framingham Hotel, Best Novella Framingham, MA, USA. Guests “The Man on the Ceiling” include Neil Gaiman, Stephen Hickman, Steve Rasnic Tem & Melanie Tem Marv Wolfman and Tom Holt. Info: Best Short Fiction Boskone 39, Box 809, Framingham MA “The Pottawatomie Giant” 01701, USA. Fax (617) 776 3243 Andy Duncan email: [email protected] Best Anthology website: www.nesfa.org/boskone DARK MATTER: A CENTURY OF March 8-10 2002 MeCon Y, Queen s SPECULATIVE FICTION FROM University of Belfast. £10 reg. Contact: THE AFRICAN DIASPORA MeCoN V, c/o 30 Bendigo Street, edited by Sheree R Thomas Belfast BT6 8GD Website is www: mecon.org 3 Best Collection MATIC IMMUNITY - has been BELUTHAHATCHIE AND OTHER delivered to Baen. Hardcover should be STORIES - Andy Duncan out in mid-summer.... all you John Best Artist Varley fans will be glad to hear that his Shaun Tan new book - RED THUNDER - is finished and delivered to Ace Special Award (Professional) books.... Tor books are launching a new Tom Shippey series for younger readers called for J R R TOLKIEN: AUTHOR OF ‘Starscape’ - initial releases are Robert THE CENTURY Jordan’s EYE OF THE WORLD split Special Award (Non-professional) into two volumes (guaranteed to confuse Bill Sheehan the unwary) - FROM THE TWO for AT THE FOOT OF THE STORY RIVERS (with a brand-new chapter!) TREE - AN INQUIRY INTO THE and TO THE BLIGHT (with updated FICTION OF PETER STRAUB glossary); Orson Scott Card’s ENDER’S GAME and Stephen 2001 BRITISH FANTASY AWARDS Gould’s vastly underrated SF novel JUMPER. Books from Jane Yolen and August Derleth Award for Best Novel Patricia Wrede will follow. Nowhere PERDIDO STREET STATION in their advertising does it mention China Mieville whether or not any editing has been done to make it easier for youngster’s to Best Anthology read ....Harry Potter author - J K HIDEOUS PROGENY Rowling - earned $36.2 million in the edited by Brian Willis year ending October 1, 2001, beating Best Collection out Queen Elizabeth II who only WHERE THE BODIES ARE BURIED earned $22.2 million. Both were beaten Kim Newman by Madonna with $43.8 million....Jack Haldeman (brother of Award-winning Best Short Fiction Joe) has been diagnosed with cancer NAMING OF PARTS and recent news is that he is being Tim Lebbon moved into a hospice and is sadly losing Best Artist his battle. Cards and letters (but no Jim Burns flowers) may be sent to his wife Best Small Press Barbara Haldeman, 205 SE 16th PS Publishing Avenue Apt. 7B, Gainesville Florida 32601, US A.... Douglas Adams’s final Karl Edward Wagner Award Hitch-Hiker story, the 40pg “A Salmon Peter Haining of Doubt” will appear from Crown in the USA in May, supplemented with NEWS IN BRIEF ... articles and essays and the screenplay ....a new Miles Vorkosigan novel by for the original HITCH-HIKER’S Lois McMaster Bujold - DIPLO­ GUIDE TO THE GALAXY. A UK 4 edition will presumably appear from shorts by the late Tom Godwin Pan/Macmillan but I’ve seen no listing featuring the classic award-winning or news on this yet.... Gollancz are short story “The Cold Equations”.... paying out 6-figure sums - the lucky Reports on the new movie THE LORD recipients are Simon R Green (for two OF THE RINGS Part 1 have been very new Deathstalker novels), Stephen favourable. I haven’t seen it yet but Baxter (for four new books including a intend to despite not liking the book Xeelee book), Alastair Reynolds (for much.