Locus, June 2014

by Locus Publications

  IASFS Team: Panneer Selvam, M.H. Srinarahari, Bhagwan, K.S. Purushothaman

  Speaking on his ‘‘life in science fiction,’’ Frank Roger said that he got introduced to SF at age 14. At that time Philip K. Dick and J.G. Ballard were his favorite authors. The former made use of philosophy and the latter made a powerful impact on Frank with his poetic style, original treatment of ideas, and avoidance of traditional themes and formats. Being in Belgium, he learned Dutch, English, and French, and experimented with SF writing in different languages, resulting in the production of more than 500 SF short stories to date. He make notes on whatever he observes during his journeys and when meeting people, and a few have been used in short stories. His new book The Burning Woman is the result of an observations made when he was 17. His works are typically Belgian in nature, very international in scope, and have been translated into 40 languages.

  Two SF books written in the English language were released during this event, one by a young writer and the other by a veteran SF writer. The Greek Mission (2013) by 14-year-old Venkatesh Vijay is published by Penguin India. The Blake brothers are archeologists who travel to the future, and to the God’s world. Bhoosnurmutt’s The Art and Craft of SF/F Writing (2014), published by Vaibhavi Prakashana, deals with the ideas, format, and techniques of writing stories.

  An interview with SF writers from different vernacular languages was arranged in one of the sessions. Dr. Arvind Mishra (Hindi), Venkatesh Vijay (English), Rajashekhar Bhoosnurmutt (Kannada), Nellai S. Muthu (Tamil), N.D. Ramakrishnan (Malayalam), Frank Roger, and Dr. Dominic Alessio took part in the session. The topics discussed included what is and what is not SF, forms of SF, and how each of the interviewees became SF writers. The session generated maximum interaction from the delegates and dignitaries. Srinarahari summarized and gave the concluding remarks.

  James E. Gunn, founding director of the Center for Science Fiction Studies at Kansas University, was to be the conference’s Guest of Honor. Gunn said he accepted the invitation because he wanted to meet Srinarahari, who has been in constant touch with him for two decades, during his days as an Asimov scholar. Due to health reasons, Gunn could not attend, but recorded a speech that was played during the conference, in which he saluted the tremendous progress of the genre in India in a short span of time.

  One of the interesting aspects of SF is the way the development of the genre took shape in different countries. According to Gunn’s theory, the acceptance of science fiction is related to industrial revolution and the way it changes people’s lives. The industrial revolution changed the course of civilization, and people’s attitudes toward existence. Writers recognized that the nature of existence was being changed by science and technology and responded with stories speculating about those changes. Mary Shelley from Britain, Edgar Allan Poe from the US, Jules Verne from France, and H.G. Wells from Great Britain all wrote stories contributing to the development of the genre.

  Gunn discussed the types of stories published from the pulp age, including detective, love, and weird fiction, and then to the non-pulp quality of stories published under the guidance of John W. Campbell and others.

  He drew special attention to the turning point of Michael Moorcock’s editing and writing in Great Britain. The New Wave shifted the emphasis from the exploration of the outer world to the inner world. At the same time, novels shifted from magazine to book publication, and the number of books produced increased every year. Speaking about later movements, he explained in detail the cyberpunk movement pioneered by William Gibson.

  Indian Association for Science Fiction Studies delegates

  Praising the part played by present-day SF magazines, Gunn said the magazines still play a vital role in providing new ideas and introducing new authors. He mentioned a few magazines in particular, namely Hayakawa’s SF Magazine of Japan, China’s Science Fiction World, and Britain’s Interzone.

  Throwing light on the digital revolution and online publications, Gunn observed that many authors were taking on multiple roles like editor and publisher, raising the question of how to maintain quality in a world where information is often freely accessible.

  Gunn asserted that SF gave him enough imagination, suspense, adventure, speculation, and unique ideas in his childhood to allow him write it, teach it, and write about it for the rest of his life. He hopes that SF will continue to entertain, instruct, and inspire further. Concluding his speech, Gunn quoted Fred Pohl’s remarks from a convention in Hungary where he said that SF has the ability to make us all brothers. He called SF the literature of the human species, and said we are its citizens and its custodians.

  One hundred and five papers were presented during the conference. Dr. Srinarahari, Dr. Panneer Selvam, and every member of the faculty of English at St. Teresa’s College chaired the sessions. As movies are easily accessible over the net and are captivating for the young, papers presented on science fiction movies outnumbered other forms. Films discussed include Avatar, Hancock, Ender’s Game, Signs, War of the Worlds, Transformers, ET, I am Legend, Resident Evil Series, Quarantine Terminal, The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Jurassic Park, Gravity, 12 Monkeys, The Last Man on Earth, Oblivion, Solaris, Prometheus, The Rise of the Planet of Apes, Slither, Enthiran, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, and others.

  Various literary theories and approaches were discussed about the following works: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues under the Sea and Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Salman Rushdie’s Grimus, Robinson’s Red Mars, Dune: House Atreides by Kevin J Anderson & Brain Herbert, Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness, Ian McEwan’s short stories, Isaac Asimov’s I Robot and Foundation series, William Gibson’s Neuromancer, Richard K. Morgan’s Altered Carbon, Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Robert Louis Stephenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Calcutta Chromosome by Amitav Ghosh, Hadrian’s Eve’s Tomb, George Orwell’s 1984, H.G. Wells’s The Time Machine and The Invisible Man, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, and the works of Jayanth Narlikar, Niranjan Ghate, and Bal Phondke, as well as C. Radhakrishnan’s Ullil Ullathu.

  There were also papers on ‘‘Fictionalizing Science’’, ‘‘Science Fiction: Importance and Future’’, ‘‘Prophesying Life and Technology’’, ‘‘SF in Malayalam’’, ‘‘Hindi SF’’, ‘‘Kannada SF’’, ‘‘Marathi SF’’, ‘‘Science Fiction in Class room Teaching’’, ‘‘Science fiction in ancient Indian myth’’, ‘‘Artificial Intelligence’’, ‘‘Humanizing Robots’’, ‘‘Extra Terrestrials’’, ‘‘Worlds of Imagination’’ and others.

  Scholarly papers were presented by teachers and students of different faculties from Kerala, Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttara Pradesh, Gujarath, Pondicherry, West Bengal, and Delhi. The common experience among the participants is that science fiction has no barriers of age, creed, race gender, qualification, experience, countries, borders, and others. Everyone could breathe and feel SF.

  –M.H. Srinarahari

  Return to In This Issue listing.

  The 2014 World Horror Convention was held at the Doubletree by Hilton in Portland OR, May 8-11, 2014. The convention was held in conjunction with the Stoker Awards weekend, hosted by the Horror Writers Association. Guests of honor were Nancy Holder (author), Jack Ketchum (author), Norman Partridge (author), Greg Staples (artist), and Paula Guran (editor). Alan M. Clark was toastmaster, and special guests were John Shirley and Victoria Price. Brian Keene was presented with the 2014 World Horror Convention Grand Master Award. Stephen Jones and R.L. Stine were recipients of the HWA 2013 Lifetime Achievement Awards; Jones was in attendance.

  Nick Mamatas, Jason V Brock, Nancy Kilpatrick, Steve Rasnic Tem, S.T. Joshi, Dennis Weiler, Wilum Hopfrog Pugmire, Lois Gresh, John Shirley

  There were just over 350 attendees. Notable events included a Portland history tour, the Gothic Masked Ball, the 2015 World Horror Convention launch luncheon, a m
ass book signing, the Cthulhu Prayer Breakfast hosted by Cody Goodfellow and John Skipp, and the Gross Out Contest, with judges Brian Keene, John Skipp, Rose O’Keefe, Daniel Knauf, and Douglas E. Winter. Programming included panel topics on comic book horror, H.P. Lovecraft, horror publishing, vampires, paranormal romance, the horror poetry market, and the state of modern horror art. There were also readings, GoH interviews, book launches, pitch sessions, and World Horror Society and Horror Writer’s Association member meetings.

  Scott Nicolay, Anya Martin, Andrew S. Fuller; Yvonne Navarro, Steve Rasnic Tem,Weston Ochse

  Next year’s World Horror Convention will be held May 7-10, 2015 in Atlanta GA, with guests of honor John Farris, Kami Garcia, Christopher Golden, Tom Piccirilli, Chris Ryall, and Lisa Tuttle, Toastmaster Jonathan Maberry, and Stoker Awards emcee Jeff Strand. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit .

  We have included a selection of photos from the convention below.

  –Patrick Wells

  David Barker, Wilum Hopfrog Pugmire; Jason V & Sunni Brock, S.T. Joshi

  Tina Rooker, Rocky Wood; Michael Marshall Smith, Stephen Jones; Del Howison, Rain Graves

  Brian Keene with his World Horror Convention Grand Master Award; John & Micky Shirley; Josh Malerman, Ross Lockhart

  Lisa Morton, Roberta Lannes; Wrath James White, Jeff Burk; Cody Goodfellow, Constance Ann Fitzgerald

  Linda Addison, Brigid Nelson; Nikki Guerlain, S.G. Browne; Loren Rhoads, David Gerrold, Michelle Lane-Ogden

  Ellen Datlow, Norman Partridge, Nancy Holder; Bruce Taylor, Mike McCarty; F. Paul Wilson, Douglas E. Winter

  Standing: Greg Staples, John LaFleur, Stephen Jones, Nancy Holder, Victoria Price, Norman Partridge, Paula Guran, Brian Keene; seated: Jack Ketchum, Alan M. Clark

  Scott Edelman, William R. Lund; John Urbancik, Kate Jonez; Decoration

  Robert Brouhard, Rain Graves, Jimmy Z. Johnston; Kami Garcia, James Dorr

  Carlton Mellick III, John Skipp; Alan M. Clark, Robert Devereaux, Hope Robertson, Gord Rollo

  Tiffany Scandal, C.V. Hunt; Nancy Kilpatrick, Lois Gresh, Lisa Mannetti

  Jack Ketchum, Anya Martin, Scott Nicolay; John Palisano, Usman Malik, J.G. Faherty, Erinn Kemper

  Return to In This Issue listing.

  GARDNERSPACE: A SHORT FICTION COLUMN BY GARDNER DOZOIS

  Interzone 3-4/14

  Asimov’s 3/14

  Tor.com 1/29/14; 2/4/14; 2/12/14; 2/26/14.

  Space Opera, Rich Horton, ed. (Prime Books) April 2014

  After a weak start to the year, Interzone rebounds with a stronger March-April issue. The strongest story is the powerful but bleak ‘‘Ashes’’ by Karl Bunker, set in an airless (emotionally, not literally) future where the human race is slowly dwindling toward extinction and even machine intelligences, or AIs, can achieve transcendence only at the cost of vanishing forever from existence. This is quietly but effectively grim, and you shouldn’t expect any note of hope or any Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free card at the end, because there isn’t any. Also good but also bleak (in fact, in usual Interzone fashion, almost everything here is bleak) is ‘‘Fly Away Home’’ by Suzanne Palmer, which is, oddly, one of two stories about the labor struggles of asteroid miners I’ve seen so far this year, the other being Derek Künsken’s ‘‘Schools of Clay’’, from the February Asimov’s. The characters in the Künsken story are mechanical beings, not humans, and the story concerns a sort of robot Lenin trying to raise a revolution of sorts among the other robot workers. However, the unfortunate human protagonist of ‘‘Fly Away Home’’ is mainly concerned with personal survival, trying to keep herself from being totally degraded and destroyed by the horrifyingly misogynist society that has enslaved her, and which regards women as things less than human, good only for being raped and impregnated. There’s no happy ending here either, and the only note of hope is that she keeps fighting against the society that oppresses her, and in the end does her best to take as many of them down with her as possible.

  New writer Tracie Welser’s ‘‘A Doll Is Not a Dumpling’’ also takes place in another repressive society (or a presumptively repressive one anyway, as we never learn much about the issues or what the other side of the story is), as a group of terrorists press an innocent, childlike, dumpling-vendor robot into use as a weapon of assassination; the hapless, bewildered robot is a sympathetic character, but since we never learn much about the political issues at stake, we don’t feel the sympathy for the terrorists as I think we’re supposed to, especially as their strike kills dozens of innocent people in addition to the intended target. John Grant’s ‘‘Ghost Story’’ is a melancholy story about a man who inexplicably drifts away from his own timeline and can’t get back to it again. Gareth L. Powell’s also melancholy ‘‘This Is How You Die’’ reads like a synopsis of a disaster novel, taking us through its apocalyptic pandemic scenario in only a few pages rather than six hundred of them, but still ending with the protagonist (and, presumably, just about everybody else) dying miserably. With a resurgence of ebola killing hundreds in Africa as I write these words, only an airliner flight away, it makes for somewhat uneasy reading. And Greg Kurzawa’s ‘‘Old Bones’’ is a horror story, a zombie tale of sorts that would feel more in place in Interzone’s companion magazine, Black Static.

  •

  The March issue of Asimov’s is also somewhat weak – there’s little really awful here, but little that rises much toward the exceptional, either. The best stories here are probably James Patrick Kelly’s ‘‘Declaration’’, a reprint of a clever story from my audio anthology Rip-Off!, in which teenagers get involved in a political movement to gain the right to spend all their time in virtual reality, and ‘‘Drink in a Small Town’’ by new writer Peter Wood, a time-travel story so understated that it’s almost subliminal. Cat Rambo’s ‘‘All the Pretty Little Mermaids’’ is a sad but predictable story, a bit overlong, of a woman who gets bullied by her ex-husband into breeding bioengineered living mermaids as pets for their daughter; this all goes pretty much where you’d expect it to go, with the author hammering on it a bit too heavily as a metaphor for a number of feminist issues.

  Genevieve Williams’s ‘‘The Redemption of Kip Banjeree’’ is a fast-paced cyberpunkish tale about a courier using her skills at parkour and computer hacking to deliver an important package across a cityscape, with an adversary attempting to hijack it along the way; it’s mildly reminiscent of a few of William Gibson’s old stories. The speculative element here is minimal, since essentially the same story could be (and has been) told with a bicycle messenger trying to deliver drugs or some other MacGuffin across present-day Manhattan or Los Angeles. New writer Jay O’Connell’s ‘‘Solomon’s Little Sister’’ is a variant of the familiar time-travel story which has alternate versions of the same person hammering on the door. And new writer Sean Monaghan’s ‘‘Walking Gear’’ is a variant of a familiar story about a man struggling with his sister’s drug addiction, with a gimmick about re-growing amputated limbs thrown in to give it a rationalization as science fiction.

  •

  The practice of an editor hiring authors to write stories inspired by an illustration, often several different stories inspired by the same illustration, is an old pulp-magazine trick that goes back for decades, into at least the ’50s, and probably earlier. Now it’s David G. Hartwell’s turn to practice it, with The Anderson Project, three stories commissioned by Hartwell, inspired by a (somewhat murky, actually) painting by Richard Anderson, and all posted on Tor.com.

  All three of the Anderson Project stories are well-crafted and worth reading, but, truth to tell, none of them is entirely successful, and I doubt that we’ll be seeing any of them on next year’s award ballots. ‘‘Reborn’’ by Ken Liu, posted on Tor.com on January 29, has a wonderful idea at its core: aliens ‘‘whose brains, like the teeth of sharks, never cease growing. New brain tissue is continuously produced at the core while the outer layers are sloughed off periodically like snakes
kin’’ – producing a race of creatures who forget the past almost as soon as they experience it. It would be fascinating to explore the society that aliens such as this would produce, and the social adaptations that living with this curious physiology would force on them, but there’s little of that here, with the bulk of the story taken up by twisting the plotline around to justify the scene in the Richard Anderson painting. All of the Anderson stories, in fact, suffer from this to one degree or another. In the case of the Liu, for all of the twisting and turning, I doubt that the identity of the mysterious traitor is going to come as a surprise to many experienced genre readers. Judith Moffett’s ‘‘Space Ballet’’, posted on Tor.com on February 4th, is perhaps the Anderson Project story that makes the least attempt to literalize the scene in the Anderson painting, using the scene instead as something that subjects in a psychological experiment see in a series of precognitive dreams; this allows Moffett to discuss the images from the painting in symbolic terms, rather than having to twist the plot around so that the scene actually happens in the course of the story (although the deciphering of the symbols to warn that a tsunami is imminent seems a bit of a stretch to me). This is a clever way to try to get around having to directly employ the events from the painting, which shows spacesuited figures being waved around by tentacles that dangle from what looks like a Flying Saucer, but also has the effect of turning the story into a succession of Talking Heads explaining things to each other, which makes it all a bit static. Kathleen Ann Goonan’s ‘‘Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?’’, posted on Tor.com on February 12, is perhaps the Anderson Project story that is the most successful on its own terms as an individual story; it’s also the tale that’s the most hurt by the necessity of rationalizing the images from Anderson’s painting into the plotline, as its story of a troubled woman’s problematical relationship with a hyper-intelligent sentient parrot would actually work much better on its own without the Anderson Project elements shoehorned into it.