Is this an inherent weakness in a literary form which eschews not merely mimesis but internal consistency? Miéville and Swainston have demonstrated that it is possible to tell a satisfying story in this mode up until the conclusion. But can one create a satisfying conclusion to a story without any constraints at all, or are constraints an absolute necessity of story-telling?
This is not a question that has been answered yet, and I don't have the answer either. Time will tell. Or not. The only thing certain is that the New Weird has embarked on a voyage to the very essential core nature of fiction itself.
—Norman Spinrad
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The SF Conventional Calendar
This is the last chance to join LACon IV before the rates go up September 12. 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
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September 2005
9-11—CopperCon. For info, write: Box 62613, Phoenix AZ 85082. Or phone: (480) 945-6890 (10 AM to 10 PM, not collect). (Web) coppercon.org. (E-mail) [email protected]. Con will be held in: Phoenix AZ (if city omitted, same as in address) at the Embassy Suites Phoenix North. Guests will include: Greg Keyes, Robert J. Sawyer, Michele Dockrey.
9-11—Kimi no Hanyo. ryoplace.net/kimihanyo/index.html. Sierra College, Rocklin CA. Anime convention.
16-18—Nan Desu Kan. [email protected]. Marriott Denver Tech Center, Denver CO. Anime convention.
16-18—MidWest ConStruction. midamericon.org/mwc4.htm. Sheraton Suites CC Plaza, Kansas City MO.
16-18—Roddenberry Universe. (+61) 3 9848 1068. [email protected]. Latrobe University, Melbourne Australia.
23-25—FenCon, Box 560576, The Colony, TX 75056. fencon.org. Holiday Inn Select, No. Dallas TX. Sterling, Gerrold.
23-25—Foolscap, Box 2461, Seattle WA 98111. [email protected]. Hilton, Bellevue WA. Harlan Ellison.
23-25—Anime Weekend, Box 13544, Atlanta GA 30324. (404) 364-9773. awa-con.com. Renaissance Waverly Hotel.
30-Oct. 2—Archon, Box 8387, St. Louis MO 63132. stlf.org. Holiday Inn, Collinsville IL. Nye, Bill Fawcett, Vic Milan.
30-Oct. 2—FantasyCon, c/o Beech House, Chapel Ln., Moulton CW9 8PQ, UK. Walsall. UK Fantasy Society's meet.
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October 2005
1-2—NewCon, c/o NSFWG, c/o 16 Albany Rd., Northampton NN1 5LZ, UK. Guildhall. Grimwood, L. Williams, Fangorn.
2-8—Viable Paradise, c/o Box 253, Franklin MA 02038. sff.net/paradise. Martha's Vineyard MA. Writers’ workshop.
7-9—AlbaCon, Box 2085, Albany NY 12220. albacon.org. [email protected]. Crowne Plaza. Terry Brooks.
7-9—ConText, Box 163391, Columbus OH 43216. (614) 846-1051. contextcon.com. M. Swanwick, Gordon Van Gelder.
14-16—CapClave, 7113 Wayne Dr., Annandale VA 22003. capclave.org. Hilton, Silver Spring MD. Howard Waldrop.
21-23—MileHiCon, Box 101322, Denver CO 80250. (303) 657-5912. [email protected]. A.D. Foster, Mattingly.
21-23—ZebraCon, Box 2660, Glen Ellyn IL 60138. [email protected]. Renaissance Chicago North, Northbrook IL.
28-30—NecronomiCon, Box 2213, Plant City FL 33564. stonehill.org. Tampa East Crowne Plaza, Tampa FL.
28-30—HallowCon, c/o Stacy, 395 Stancil Rd., Rossville GA 30741. hallowcon.com. Chattanooga TN. M. Martinez.
28-31—Cult TV, Box 1701, Wolverhampton WV4 4WT, UK. (+44) 01733-205009. [email protected]. Birmingham UK.
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November 2005
3-6—World Fantasy Con, Box 531, Madison WI 53523. worldfantasy.org. Concourse Hotel. Joyce, Windling, Straub.
11-13—AstronomiCon, Box 31701, Rochester NY 14603. (585) 342-4697. astronomicon.info. Clarion. F.J. Ackerman.
11-13—ArmadaCon, 4 Gleneagle Ave., Mannamead PL3 5HL, UK. Novotel Hotel, Plymouth UK.
25-27—LosCon, 11513 Burbank Blvd., North Hollywood CA 91601. (818) 760-9234. loscon.org. Hilton, Burbank CA.
25-27—Darkover, Armida Council, Box 7203, Silver Spring MD 20907. [email protected]. Timonium (Baltimore) MD.
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August 2006
23-27—LACon IV, Box 8442, Van Nuys CA 91409. [email protected]. Anaheim CA. Connie Willis. The WorldCon. $150.
August 2007
30-Sep. 3—Nippon 2007, Box 314, Annapolis Jct. MD 20701. nippon2007.org. Yokohama Japan. WorldCon. $160.
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In Our Next Issue
Hugo and Nebula-winner Kristine Kathryn Rusch returns next month with our December cover story, taking us on a tense, suspenseful adventure in Deep Space, as a crew of treasure-seekers investigating an enigmatic spaceship, lost and drifting among the stars for thousands of years, discover that “Diving into the Wreck” can bring you face-to-face with secrets that it was probably better to have left undisturbed.... This one will have you on the edge of your seat, so don't miss it!
Sideways Award-winner William Sanders, author of popular stories such as “The Undiscovered” and “When This World Is All on Fire,” takes us to a ruined—and all too probable—future Earth for a powerful story of people trying to cope as things go from bad to worse, and as they have an intense and frightening encounter with “Amba"; popular British writer Liz Williams tells us the bittersweet story of a very peculiar nursemaid whose fate is bound up with that of her charge, for better or worse, in “Ikiryoh"; Damian Kilby returns after a fifteen-year absence to paint a vivid picture of a woman torn between the allure of the boundless universe and the need to spend some quality “Earthtime"; acclaimed British writer Chris Beckett sweeps us along on an unnerving tour of “The Perimeter,” which can seem either homey and normal or desolate and strange—depending on who is doing the seeing!; and new writer James Maxey, making his Asimov's debut, demonstrates that after things have ceased to matter, some things still matter a lot, in the autumnal “To the East, a Bright Star."
Robert Silverberg's “Reflections” column looks at a famous horror writer from a different angle as he investigates “Lovecraft as Science Fiction"; Peter Heck brings us “On Books"; James Patrick Kelly's “On the Net” column muses about “Mastery"; and, in our Thought Experiment feature, Therese Littleton takes us shopping for some very cool and hip toys, as we encounter the “Invasion of the Vinyl Space Monkeys"; plus an array of poems, and other features.
Farther along, we have mind-bending new stories by Robert Silverberg, Stephen Baxter, David D. Levine, Wil McCarthy, Liz Williams, Chris Roberson, William Shunn, Paul Melko, Jack Skillingstead, Bruce McAllister, Allen M. Steele, Carol Emshwiller, Michael Swanwick, Paul J. McAuley, Neal Asher, and more
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Visit www.dellmagazines.com for information on additional titles by this and other authors.
Asimov's SF, Oct/Nov 2005 Page 37