2011 Hugo Awards

By now, almost everyone should know that the Hugo Awards are out. But for those of you who weren’t at RenoVation (like me) and perhaps went out and had fun on saturday night, go to thehugoawards.org to see this year’s winners. If you have time, then I suggest you hang out at Ustream and watch a replay of the ceremony. Enjoy!

The Futurians

Who were the Futurians? They were an amazing group of fans and writers who gathered between 1935 until 1945.  On the left we see a some of the founding members: Frederik Pohl,  John Michel, and Donald A. Wollheim.

The entire membership can be found here, but includes many who went on to have influential careers in Science Fiction. Wollheim, seen in the picture, organized the first science fiction convention on October 22, 1936 in Philadelphia, which later transformed into what we now call Worldcon.

What would Science Fiction have become without them? It’s hard to say, but certainly the genre we know and love was forever changed by their vision and writing.

C.M. Kornbluth – The Life and Works of a Science Fiction Visionary

 Many of you may not remember Cyril Kornbluth, an outstanding science fiction writer who sadly died in the late ’50s, but his impact on Science Fiction endures until today. With the publication of a new biography by Mark Rich, I think it is time for everyone to reacquaint themselves with the life of a great writer from SF’s golden age.

Rich has spent years gathering data, and the biography covers everything from Kornbluth’s early life and member of the Futurians, all the way through to his tragic death in 1958 from a heart attack. Rich’s attention to the books detail is impressive. Not only do we get a full index, but also more than 40 pages of chapter notes.

The biography talks about many of Kornbluth’s literary accomplishments. My favorite novel by Kornbluth is THE SPACE MERCHANTS, written in collaboration with Frederik Pohl. However Kornbluth’s life work covered an impressive array of  techno, economic, and sociological issues, which even until today cause us to pause and question. As Rich puts it:

“…he expressed his commonality, moreover, by responding to the great events of the day: the concentration camp, the atomic bomb, the Red Scare, McCarthyism, the erasing of gender lines, the culpability of the intelligentsia, the tragedy of the Organization Man, and the brutalizing, numbing and dumbing-down effects of mass culture.”

I don’t know how you feel, but I don’t believe all the above issues have yet been resolved. More reason in my opinion to understand Kornbluth’s work, and the man himself.

So, if you love SF from the golden age, this biography is a must read. I highly recommend it.

Harlan Ellison – Dangerous Visions

Harlan Ellison was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame last month. At the age of 77, I have no idea why they waited so long. However it’s great news nonetheless.

Ellison wrote so many novels and short stories since the ’50, it’s very difficult to single one out. However, I would like to highlight one book of his which I think (at least in my mind) is quite significant: Dangerous Visions, edited by Ellison and published back in 1967.

Why was it so important. It was a ground-breaking anthology that made manifest the New Wave revolution in Science Fiction. Smashing head on with the expectations of SF publishing, and setting new horizons for what Science Fiction (as a genre) was capable of.

And the list of authors is breathtaking: Robert Silverberg; Frederik Pohl; Philip José Farmer; Robert Bloch; Brian W. Aldiss; Philip K. Dick; Larry Niven; Poul Anderson;  J. G. Ballard;  John Brunner; Keith Laumer;  Norman Spinrad; and so on, and so on. I don’t think there’s anyone in this anthology who isn’t famous.

It’s books like this which take Science Fiction to new literary heights , and I venture to say we have yet to see a similar work of its kind. Perhaps, we never will.

The Second Trip – New Wave from Bob Silverberg

Does anyone remember this novel?  The Second Trip was written by Robert Silverberg and first serialized in Amazing Science Fiction. It was later released in novel form  in 1972 . It’s quite enjoyable to read a book like this. With a story set in the year 2011, seeing how the author envisioned our “present day” is a blast.

The book’s theme revolved around capital punishment, which was deemed too harsh. Instead, violent criminals are subjected to coercive therapy that effectively erases their personalities, which are replaced with artificially constructed memories to form a person deemed useful to society.

The novel includes graphic scenes of copulation and sexual assault, and long stretches of the narrative between the pro and antagonist which must share the same body. In my opinion, this placed The Second Trip squarely within the New Wave sub genre.

Perhaps its shock appeal has diminished over the years, but it’s still a good read. Check it out if you have time.

Conflux 7 – Australian speculative fiction convention

Looks like I’m going to Conflux 7, the seventh speculative fiction convention held Saturday October 1 to Monday October 3rd in Canberra.  That’s in Australia Mate!

The first was in 2004 and was the national convention (Natcon) for that year. Since then, Conflux has become one of the most well known cons in Australia.

This year’s special guests include Kim Westwood (Author), Natalie Costa-Bir (Editor), Lewis Morley and Marilyn Pride (Artists), and others. Check the Conflux website for more details.

Bug Jack Barron – Another Great New Wave SF

Has anyone read Bug Jack Barron lately? It was one of the great “New Wave” SF novels written in the late 60′s by Norman Spinrad. And in my opinion, it  has one of the best opening chapters I’ve ever read. Perhaps it wasn’t trying to be funny, but I  nearly fell off my chair as I turned the pages.

Trying to peer into the near future (20 or 30 years from Spinrad’s point of view), the book does an amazing job guessing how important the media would become by the end of the millenia. Digital democracy is painfully envisioned, and reminds one of almost any talk-show we see today.  I would even venture to say that Jack Barron (the main character) is comparable to a modern-day Jon Stewart. But if you don’t think so, pick some other TV personality. There are lots to choose

Now, this book might not be considered politically correct, as it employs a lot of 60′s language now deemed offensive. But even so, I believe its message is meaningful in today’s world. This is a great book. It deserves our attention, and one’s deep respect.

Stand On Zanzibar – They don’t make them like this anymore

I’m currently reading Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner, and I’m quite impressed. In my opinion they don’t make Science Fiction like this anymore. Publishers would reject this kind of avant-garde writing straight out. Why? Well, if one were to follow all the pedantic rules editors blindly follow these days, it breaks them all. And I mean all of them!

But that is exactly why I love this book. It’s true science fiction, and tries to portray a world gone haywire with overpopulation. Of course no one is up in arms over such a topic these days, but one has to awed by Brunner’s attempt to challenge and edify the readers of his time.

Minotaur in Melbourne

The perfect Science Fiction bookstores!

Minotaur Bookshop in Melbourne

I had a wonderful experience visiting this bookshop in downtown Melbourne. Of course, I didn’t expect much so that added to the shock appeal. But Minotaur is by far the best SF bookshop I’ve ever seen. No joke! Just upon entering, one is inundated with books, toys, Manga,  and DVD’s galore. It was hard to even focus my eyes; there was literally so much stuff, I didn’t know where to start.

          

As you can see from the two pictures above, they have everything under the sun. But I was mainly interested in books. A subject which is painful because like all booksellers in Australia,  the prices are usually 2x the cover price . This is not necessarily their fault. But I don’t want to focus on prices in this article, and will bring that up in a later past.

Instead, let me comment on the following;

All Hugo winners from 1951 in order!

Yes, here we see every Hugo winner in order displayed nicely. I nearly fell down hyperventilating because no other bookstore has ever bothered to use their precious space in this fashion. Cleary, the owners care more about customer experience than economics. But I applaud them for this. And the cards you see attached are also spread out along the entire extended stack, where one can pick out notable Authors as you browse them in alphabetical order.

What can I say, the shopping experience was truly unique. However, what scares me about all this is the future. With the coming of e-books and Amazon’s kindle, prices for books are bound to fall. What this means for typical booksellers is scary. Probably the same as the US; Many will close their doors. I don’t want to see that happen to Minotaur. They deserve better. So, if you’re in the Melbourne area, check them out. It’s an experience you will probably tell you’re grandkids about.

 

When they say to you; grandpa, did really read all this paper years ago?

 

Sigh!