Asimov's SF, June 2007
Page 22
Surprisingly, his perseverance paid off. By the 1980s, leading physicists such as Stephen Hawking, Frank Tipler, and Kip Thorne were investigating corollaries of relativity in which time appeared to move backward. Their speculations, combined with Einsteints recognition that light is subject to the pull of gravity, led Mallett to investigate the effects of a laser beam following a tight circular path. After formidable calculations, he found a theoretical foundation for time travel"and saw it accepted by other physicists.
While his dream of going back in time to save his father remains unfulfilledi"travel to times before the machine is built is still theoretically impossible"Mallett has achieved a significant scientific breakthrough. And his inspiration was one of the classic science fiction storiess"based on an idea everyone once thought impossible.
Okay, we probably aren't going to see practical time travel any time soon"although Mallett does have a team working to see if they can turn his theory into an operational device. We do know we wonpt get the opportunity to go back and tell Lincoln to skip the theater. But it does show that wild dreams can come true, and good old SF was at the root of it.
This would be a good book to give to any of your old high school teachers who dismissed SF as worthless and unreal"except that we candt give it to them when it would have mattered, which is before they taught us. Maybe Mallett's hardware guys will figure out how to do that for us. And then maybe we'll get our flying cars and matter transmitters.
* * * *
WORLDCON GUEST OF HONOR SPEECHES
Edited by Mike Resnick and Joe Siclari
ISFiC Press, $30.00 (tp)
ISBN: 0-9759156-3-0
For many of those who read science fiction regularly, just the knowledge that this book is available is sufficient incentive to buy it. Most of those people can skip this review; just go get your own copy of the book, guys. But if you're sitting there asking yourself, “What's a Worldcon?” this is a book you might learn a great deal from.
Start with the list of speakers: Robert A. Heinlein, Harlan Ellison, Fritz Leiber, Theodore Sturgeon, Gene Wolfe, Joe Haldeman, Gardner Dozois"and two dozen others, all of whom I'd be willing to bet you've not only heard of, but that you've read a fair number of words from. For a lot of SF readers, that alone would be sufficient reason to go looking for in the book.
Of course, speeches aren't stories"and we admire these men (Kate Wilhelm and Doris Lessing are the only women in the list) primarily because of the stories theyrve told us. But if, as we're often told, SF is the literature of ideas, their ideas ought to be of considerable interest as well. So these speeches, as much as they may have been intended as entertainment, deserve at least some attention as vehicles for their authors’ ideas.
Heinlein's speech at the 1941 World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon for short"now you know) is a good specimen. We get a look at Heinleinms thought processes near the beginning of his career, when he was writing stories that changed the face of science fiction itself. Titled “The Discovery of the Future,” the speech combines several themes familiar to readers of Heinlein's fiction: in particular, the attempt to predict probable futures, given the pervasiveness of change in modern society. He doesn't make any claim to prophetic powers, and of the specific predictions he makes, several have yet to come true. But his central point, that reading SF enables us to deal with change, and that it therefore ought to be a valued branch of modern literature, is worth pondering even today. (Mallett's book, in the previous review, is one clear example of its impact.)
Heinlein's seriousness is characteristic of these speeches. No surprise: it would be unusual if a Worldcon Guest of Honor did not take SF seriously, appreciate it, and gladly seize the chance to say a few words in its praise"especially in the company of several hundred like-minded listeners. And while a few of the speakers offer lighter fare, for the most part even they make it a point to address issues of some importance.
In many ways, the most interesting speeches are the ones whose authors are no longer among us. John W. Campbell and Hugo Gernsback had ample opportunity to express their views in magazine editorials. But for otherst"Sturgeon, Leinster, “Doc” Smith, Simak"todayis readers can only turn to their fiction, which is at best an imperfect reflection of the authors’ ideas on more general subjects. This is especially true for readers who weren't involved in fandom in the early days"or, in many cases, who havenit ever felt the need to go beyond the printed word for their SF experiences.
Resnick and Siclari have done readers and fans a real service by making these speeches available to a much wider audience than their original listeners. Interested readers or booksellers can reach the publisher at www.isficpress.com.
Copyright ©2007 Peter Heck
[Back to Table of Contents]
WHAT WE'RE WORKING FOR by Greg Beatty
Without the constraints of suburbia to worry about, or the simpler delays of an atmosphere, the bullet train on the Ares Line that runs from Tokyo-Shin Station in the Hellas Basin to Grand Central/Mars on the rim of Valles Marineris can really, truly, fly.
Bereft of administrative tangles, engineered to infinite smoothness, the ride is, for most passengers, excruciatingly boring.
Oh, occasionally one will glance up from reading scores of the Worlds’ Cup matches eyes drawn by the soundless flash of another robot rocket landing tin from Vesta.
Another, signing school permission slips for a field trip to the foot of Olympic Mons might remember, for a moment, the momentary wonder that pushed aside new hormones for six full seconds when she visited the volcano.
But for the most part humans will not see the glory of the new planet where they live.
It will have become ordinary, and if they dream of space instead of sex or baseball it will be of next year's mission to Titan, and if they should invest in mining Ceres or Davida next.
This is as it should be.
This is what we want.
This is what we're working for:
a humanity for whom wonder is an accepted thing.
A people whose history embraces worlds, not nations.
And a people who ever say,
"On to the next, Jonesy, on to the next,” even as they pull the cord for a stop at Ayres's Cousin, the arcology with the best lattes on Mars.
—Greg Beatty
Copyright © 2007 Greg Beatty
[Back to Table of Contents]
SF CONVENTIONAL CALENDAR by Erwin S. Strauss
The mother of all convention weekends—Memorial Day—is closer than you think. Plan now for social weekends with your favorite SF authors, editors, artists, and fellow fans. For an explanation of con(vention)s, a sample of SF folksongs, info on fanzines and clubs, and how to get a later, longer list of cons, send me an SASE (self-addressed, stamped #10 [business] envelope) at 10 Hill #22-L, Newark NJ 07102. The hot line is (973) 242-5999. If a machine answers (with a list of the week's cons), leave a message and I'll call back on my nickel. When writing cons, send an SASE. For free listings, tell me of your con 6 months out. Look for me at cons behind the Filthy Pierre badge, playing a musical keyboard.—Erwin S. Strauss
* * * *
APRIL 2007
14—16—WillyCon. For info, write: c/o Ron Vick, c/o WSC, 1111 Main, Wayne NE 68787. Or phone: (973) 242-5999 (10 AM to 10 PM, not collect). (Web) willycon.com. (E-mail) scifict@wsc.edu. Con will be held in: Wayne NE (if city omitted, same as in address) on the campus of Wayne State College. Guests will include: none announced at press time.
14—16—AniZona. anizona.org. registration@anizona.org. Embassy Suites, Phoenix AZ. Guests TBA. For anime fans.
20—22—EerieCon. eeriecon.org. Days Inn at the Falls,Niagara Falls NY. Brust, J.A. Gardner, Kress. SF/fantasy.
20—22—RavenCon. ravencon.com. Airport Doubletree, Richmond VA. R.J. Sawyer, Steve Stiles, Wombat (jan h. finder).
20—22—PenguiCon. penguicon.org. Troy MI. Randy Milholland, J. Kovalic, B. Schneier. Open-source software & SF.
20—22—
Anime Boston, Box 1843, New York NY 10150. animeboston.com. Hynes Convention Center, Boston MA. Huge.
27—29—OLNFC, 22 Purefoy Rd., Coventry CV3 5GL, UK. theofficialleonardnimoyfanclub.com. Leicester UK.
* * * *
MAY 2007
4—6—LepreCon, Box 26665, Tempe AZ 85285. (480) 945-6890. leprecon.org. Phoenix AZ. Jael, Nancy Traviss.
4—6—Malice Domestic. malicedomestic.org. Washington DC area. For fans of traditional murder-mystery fiction.
11—13—Nebula Awards Weekend, c/o SFWA, Box 877, Chestertown MD 21620. (480) 423-0649. sfwa.org. New York, NY.
18—20—KeyCon, Box 3178, Winnipeg MB R3C 4E7. (204) 669-6053. keycon.org. conchair@keycon.org. Richard Herd.
18—20—MobiCon, Box 161632, Mobile AL 36616. mobicon.org. General SF and fantasy con. Further details TBA.
24—28—Int'l. Space Development Con. isdc.org. Dallas TX. Nat'l. Space Soc. “Cattle Drives to Ion Drives & Beyond."
25—27—MarCon, Box 141414, Columbus OH 43214. marcon.org. Hyatt. General SF/fantasy con. Further details TBA.
25—27—Oasis, Box 592905, Orlando FL 32895. oasfis.org. General SF and fantasy con. No further details at press.
25—27—ConDuit, Box 11745, Salt Lake City UT 84147. (801) 776-0164. conduit.sfcon.org. Sheraton, Salt Lake UT.
25—27—FanimeCon, Box 8068, San Jose CA 95155. fanime.com. help@fanime.com. Convention Center, San Jose CA.
25—27—Anime North, Box 24090, Toronto ON M6H 4H6. animenorth.com. info@animenorth.com. Toronto ON.
25—27—Animazement, Box 1383, Cary NC 27512. (919) 941-5050. animazement.org. Sheraton, Durham NC. Anime.
25—28—BaltiCon, Box 686, Baltimore MD 21203. (410) 563-3727. balticon.org. Marriott, Hunt Valley (Baltimore) MD. Niven.
25—28—BayCon, Box 610427, San Jose CA 95161. baycon.org. Marriott, San Mateo CA. General SF & fantasy con.
25—28—ConQuest, Box 36212, Kansas City MO 64171. kcsciencefiction.org. Airport Hilton. Eisenstein, Harvia.
25—28—MisCon, Box 7721, Missoula MT 59807. (406) 544-7083. miscon.org. Ruby's Inn, Missoula MT. SF & fantasy.
25—28—MediaWest*Con, 200 E. Thomas, Lansing MI 48906. mediawestcon.org. mediawstcon@aol.com. Holiday Inn S.
25—28—WisCon, Box 1624, Madison WI 53701. sf3.org/wiscon. Concourse Hotel, Madison WI. The 1st feminist SF con.
* * * *
JUNE 2007
1—3—ConCarolinas, Box 9100, Charlotte NC 28299. concarolinas.org. Marriott. General SF and fantasy convention.
* * * *
AUGUST 2007
2—5—TuckerCon (formerly Archon), Box 8387, St. Louis MO 63132. archonstl.org. Collinsville IL. 2007. NAsFic. $120.
* * * *
AUGUST 2008
30—Sep. 3—Nippon 2007, Box 314, Annapolis Jct. MD 20701. nippon2007.org. Yokohama Japan. WorldCon. $220.
[Back to Table of Contents]
NEXT ISSUE
JULY ISSUE
Hugo and Nebula-winner Nancy Kress returns in July to lead us through an intricate pavane of love and loss and betrayal and redemption, as an ever-changing relationship that stretches across decades and across the world (and even into outer space), ultimately leads one of its participants to risk everything and enter into an elaborate conspiracy in order to be able to drink from the “Fountain of Age.” This is a novella as taut, suspenseful, and surprising as the best technothrillers, but colored by Kress's deep compassion and understanding of the human heart, so don't miss it!
ALSO IN JULY
Acclaimed British SF writer Brian Stableford delves into a dismaying case where the cure may be worse than the disease, in “The Trial"; Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Award-winner Michael Swanwick beams us some cheery “Congratulations from the Future"; popular new writer Chris Roberson takes us to an intricately worked-out alternate world to reaffirm that iron bars do not a prison make, as he searches for a place where “The Sky Is Large, the Earth Is Small"; Robert Reed, one of our most prolific contributors, returns with a lesson in how to face The End with style, courtesy of “Roxie"; and new writer John Schoffstall, making his Asimov's debut, describes the grueling training you must go through if you want to take part in the deadly “Bullet Dance."
EXCITING FEATURES
Robert Silverberg's “Reflections” column comments on “Limbo on the Moon"; and Paul Di Filippo brings us “On Books"; plus an array of cartoons, poems, and other features. Look for our July issue on sale at your newsstand on May 15, 2007. Or you can subscribe to Asimov's—either by mail, or online, in varying formats, including in downloadable form for your PDA, by going to our website, www.asimovs.com)—and make sure that you don't miss any of the great stuff we have coming up for you!
COMING SOON
superlative science fiction stories by the likes of Kit Reed, R. Garcia y Robertson, Nancy Kress, Bruce Sterling, Rudy Rucker, Robert Reed, Kathleen Ann Goonan, Tom Purdom, Jack Skillingstead, Daryl Gregory, Liz Williams, Carol Emshwiller, and many others.
* * *
Visit www.dellmagazines.com for information on additional titles by this and other authors.