#243 Sept/Oct 2005 of the BSFA The Critical Journal £2.50 Vector 243 The critical magazine of the British Science Fiction Association Contents The British Science Fiction Association Officers The View from the Armadillo 3 President SirArthurC.Clarke,CBE Editorial by Andrew M. Butler Vice President Stephen Baxter TO 3 Joint Chair Paul & Elizabeth Billinger Letters to Vector 1 Long Row Close, Everdon, Daventry NN11 3BE [email protected] From Bromley to Beerlight - and 4 Treasurer Martin Potts Beyond 61 Ivy Croft Road, Warton, NearTamworth Steve Aylett interviewed by Claire Brialey B79 0JJ [email protected] Thanos as Gnostic Magus: Marvel 8 Membership Services Estelle Roberts (UK & Europe) 97 Sharp Street, Newland Avenue, Hull HU5 Comics and Gnostic Cosmology 2AE by John F. Keane [email protected] Trujillo Revisited 12 US Agent Cy Chauvin 14248 Willfred Street, Detroit, MI 48213, USA Niall Harrison gives a broader appreciation of Lucius Shepard’s short story collection. Membership fees UK £21 pa, or £14pa (unwaged) First Impressions 18 Life membership £190 Europe £26 pa Book Reviews edited by Paul N. Billinger USA $37 pa (surface mail) $47 pa (airmail) Cover: A Soyuz TMA-1 spacecraft photographed from the International Space Rest of the World £26 pa (surface mail) Station (ISS). ©NASA 2002. £32 pa (airmail) UK and Europe, make cheques payable to: BSFA Ltd and send to Estelle Roberts at the address above. US cheques payable to: Cy Chauvin (BSFA) Vector The BSFA was founded in 1958 and is a non-profitmaking organisation entirely staffed by unpaid volunteers. Registered in England. Limited by guarantee. Editors Company No. 9215000. Registered Address: 1 Long Row Close, Everdon, Daventry NN113BE Features, Editorial and Andrew M. Butler Website www.bsfa.co.uk Department and Arts, Letters c/o of Media Webmistress Tanya Brown Canterbury Christ Church University amaranth@ amaranth.aviators.net College, North Holmes Road, Canterbury BSFA Awards Claire Brialey CT11QU 59 Shirley Road, Croydon, Surrey CR0 7ES [email protected] awards @ fishlifter.demon.co.uk Orbiter Writng Groups Gillian Rooke Book Reviews Paul N. Billinger Southview, Pilgrims Lane, Chilham, Kent, CT4 1 Long Row Close, Everdon, Daventry NN11 8AB 3BE [email protected] Other BSFA Publications Matrix: The news magazine of the BSFA Production and General Tony Cullen 16 Weaver’s Way, Camden, London NW1 0XE Commissioning Editor Tom Hunter 46 Saltwell Street, London, E14 0DZ [email protected] [email protected] Associate Editor Tanya Brown Features & News Editor Claire Weaver amaranth@ amaranth.aviators.net 17 Clandon Street, St Johns, London SE8 4EL [email protected] Published bythe BSFA©2005 ISSN 0505 0448 Production & Media Editor Martin McGrath 48 Spooners Drive, Park Street, St Albans, AL2 All opinions are those of the individual contributors and should not 2HL necessarily be taken as the views of the editors or the BSFA [email protected] Focus: The writer’s magazine of the BSFA Printed by PDC Copyprint (Guildford), Middle Unit, 77-83 Walnut Tree Close, Guildford, Surrey GUI 4UH Editor Simon Morden 13 Egremont Drive, Sherriff Hill, Gateshead NE9 5SE [email protected] September/October 2005 • Vector 243 Editorial The View from the Armadillo sf other than that written by Philip K. Dick; it was one of those panels where we talked past rather than to each other. Nor was the Green Room in the Moat House - actually more of a Green There is a strange sense of coming full circle. Back in the summer Corridor given its positioning - particularly conducive to relaxed of 1995 there was a spectre of a British Worldcon, and Tony pre-preparation for panels. Cullen, Gary Dalkin and myself were due to take over as editors Meanwhile in the dealers' room - which seemed both bigger of Vector from Catie Cary. I will say more about this next time. and fuller in 1995 - the BSFA tombola continued to flout all This summer there was again a looming British Worldcon, known reason and raise money for our coffers. We revamped it made more daunting by the two deadlines that were pressing: two slightly - using playing cards rather than raffle tickets - but still or three years ago I had suggested to the Science Fiction people continued to take their chances. “You might win five Foundation that we edit a collection of essays on the work of books. If you're really lucky, you might just win one..." We also Christopher Priest, as he was to be a guest of honour there, and had a line in reduced-to-clear Interaction t-shirts (“At prices like sometime around then we had also decided to put together a these, buy them and don't bother to do any laundry") and collection of M. John Harrison's non-fiction with some unbreakable mugs. Well, allegedly unbreakable. We failed to appreciations of his work. I acquired a co-editor, we formulated a reckon with a couple of teenagers who managed it, but we call for papers, we sent it out to the world, and settled back with a suspect they found power tools somewhere. plan, whilst Michelle Reid and Mark Bould got to work gathering I did get out to see some of Glasgow in the interstices, together materials for the Harrison collection. We settled back although the gallery of modern art was less interesting this time into a schedule. round. I took my masculinity in my hands and had tea (or at least Of course, life has a habit of intervening, and that two years lunch) in a replica Willow Tea Rooms, as Mackintosh threatens to with plenty of slack schedule turned once more into a race against engulf all of Glasgow. Donald Dewar has turned very green since the clock. Everything always take longer than you anticipate, even I was in Glasgow in 2004, and they've clearly given up replacing when - especially when - you anticipate it will take longer. But his glasses. He stands there outside the Buchanan Galleries, we got there, by the skin of our teeth, thanks to a lot of hard work squinting. by a number of people. It is with no thought of personal gain - all My hotel - I’d failed to get a place at the one I usually stop at monies are going to the Science Fiction Foundation - that I through prevarication - turned out to be rather interesting. thoroughly recommend you check out Christopher Priest: The Despite an elegant lobby, it appears to be used as some kind of Interaction and Parietal Games: Critical Writings on and by M. halfway house, although my co-tenants were fine as long as they John Harrison. There is much to chew on there, on (and by) two got their methadone. One or two of the other residents looked a of the most interesting talents in British science fiction - indeed, little startled at breakfast, mind. And there was also one of those in British fiction. pure comedy moments as I explained that I'd like my hotel key It was nevertheless with some dread that I approached another back now, please, and yes I know the occupier of the room is out bloody British Worldcon. There'd been another unexpected because it's me and I'm back now. On the brighter side, we were intervention in what I wish would pretend to be a predictable life, a block down from a rather good Thai restaurant which we would and the stress of that along with the printing brinksmanship we'd not have discovered had I not been staying there. And the engaged in was hardly going to be soothed by a Worldcon. I had Glaswegian prostitutes are pretty friendly. too many scars from the last one - in particular being on a panel I guess we're not likely to see another bloody British in one of the infamous topless programme rooms. You know you Worldcon for the best part of a decade, and I get the impression are in trouble when you speak into a microphone and even you that the function space still counts against the SECC site. That can't hear yourself. Not to mention the fact that I felt distinctly appears to leave Brighton as the only other conceivable site, unqualified to talk about “alternative fandom". And Glasgow, unless Cardiff has an alternative to offer. But no doubt, a couple of despite being a fair city, is a very long way away from Canterbury. years from now, a move will be made, and it will happen - This time the rooms had roofs, and some of them even had though I cannot begin to guess as to where we will be in another microphones. Some people had trouble with officious security decade. I'm not even convinced I know where I'll be next month. who were policing room capacity and the carriage of drinks, but despite two of my panels being overfull - programming as fire Andrew M. Butler, Canterbury, Summer 2005. hazard - I didn't experience any of this. I can't help but feel I was surplus to requirements on a panel about drug-based and -themed Hall of Fame, and thought “Why bother? Everyone already knows about this stuff?" But Hurst's fresh look at the stories, and how the future has changed around them, gives new insight. “The members of the SFWA put together a great selection. They could not recognise, though, even so recently as the 1970s, that every story would gain something or fail to shine so brightly from circumstances of the time in which it was read." Of course, so much more time has passed now; when the SFWA voted to select the stories they were comparatively recent history.