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Aurora Award nominations open
This year's Aurora Awards were just barely handed out, but nominations are already open for next year's, to be presented at KeyCon, the annual SF convention in Winnipeg (which I hope to attend for the first time ever next year!). Also note that the Auroras have a new website, a considerable step up from the old one.I would like to modestly point out that my short story "The Wind", published in The Book of Dark Wisdom, is eligible, though you must think of it as "dark fantasy," since it certainly isn't science fiction.I hope to post it to my website soonish. I'll let you know.You must be a Canadian citizen (not ...Aurora Awards announced
I'm back! I'll post more about my exploits with the Canadian Chamber Choir (which is what kept me away from the computer and hence from this blog for the last week) soon, but in the meantime, let's get things rolling forward again with this list of the Aurora Award winners for the best Canadian SF and fantasy, presented at Canvention 27, hosted by VCON 32 over the weekend.And the winners are:Best Long-Form Work in EnglishChildren of Chaos, Dave Duncan (Tor Books) Best Long-Form Work in FrenchReine de Mémoire 4. La Princesse de Vengeance, Elisabeth Vonarburg(Alire) Best Short-Form Work in English"Biding Time", Robert J. Sawyer (Slipstreams, DAW) ...A quiz with only one possible answer
Q. Which former guest of honor at the World Science Fiction Convention (in 1987) went on to win the Nobel Prize in Literature?A. Dorothy Lessing.The 2007 Ig Nobel Prizes
Download the audio version.Get my science column weekly as a podcast.Every fall the leaves fall from the trees, and the Ig Nobel Prizes fall from on high (well, from the magazine Annals of Improbable Research) upon the grateful—usually—heads of researchers whose achievements “make people laugh—then think.”My favorite this year (probably because I read and occasionally write fantasy novels, and thus have a possibly unhealthy interest in swords) was the award in medicine, given to radiologist Brian Witcombe of Gloucester and professional sword-swallower Dan Meyer of Tennessee for their medical report “Sword Swallowing and Its Side Effects.”Astonishingly, almost nothing had been published on this subject before the penetrating, pointed and (one assumes) sharply written article ...2007 Ig Nobel Awards presented
It's Ig Nobel time again. This year's winners include the U.S. military for its plans to make a "gay bomb," research into the use of Viagra to help hamsters recover from jet lag, and a medical study of the risks of sword swallowing. (Via New Scientist.)See my post at Futurismic--and next week's science column!The book to win all the awards in science fiction…
...has been conceived by Teresa Nielsen Hayden and colleagues:The book has to be a graphic novel which is the first novel published by the author, a person of color who is an active and well-liked member of SFWA. It must be initially published in Canada, in French, as a paperback original, with simultaneous British and North American English-language editions following about ten minutes after, and a Japanese translation already in the works. It must satisfy the genre expectations of hard SF, mythopoeic fantasy, horror, alternate history, and romance, have positive gay or lesbian or bisexual or transgendered characters, and include examinations of gender, gender identity, racial identity, class, and libertarianism, while not being unsuitable for younger readers. ...Aurora Award finalists announced
The finalists for this years Aurora Awards, Canada's national awards for science fiction and fantasy, have been announced:Best Long-Form Work in EnglishMeilleur livre en anglaisRegeneration : Species Imperative 3, Julie E. Czerneda (DAW Books)Children of Chaos, Dave Duncan (Tor Books)Smoke and Ashes, Tanya Huff (DAW Books)Sun of Suns : Book One of Virga, Karl Schroeder (Tor Books)Blindsight, Peter Watts (Tor Books)Righteous Anger : Part Two of the Okal Rel Saga, Lynda Williams (EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing)Meilleur livre en françaisBest Long-Form Work in FrenchSamuel de la chasse-galerie, Michel J. Lévesque (Médiaspaul)Les îles du Zodiaque 3. Le maître des bourrasques, Laurent McAllister (Médiaspaul)...I’m back!
I've been away on vacation, hence the paucity of posting here, but I'm back now.And to ease back into blogging, here are the Hugo Award winners for 2007, announced Nippon 2007, the World Science Fiction Convention in Yokohama, Japan:Best Novel: Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge (Tor, 2006)Best Novella: "A Billion Eves" by Robert Reed (Asimov's, October/November 2006)Best Novelette: "The Djinn's Wife" by Ian McDonald (Asimov's, July 2006)Best Short Story: "Impossible Dreams" by Tim Pratt (Asimov's, July 2006)Best Related Non-Fiction Book: James Tiptree, Jr.: The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon by Julie Phillips (St. Martin's, 2006)Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: Pan's Labyrinth, screenplay by Guillermo del Toro, directed by Guillermo del Toro (Picturehouse)Best ...Saskatchewan author up for major science fiction award
Alas, it isn't me.Nevertheless, congratulations to Barbara Sapergia, whose novel Dry (Coteau Books) is one of the finalists for the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for the best science fiction novel of 2006.(I suspect Barbara doesn't self-identify as a science fiction writer, based on her biography on the Coteau site, so this may come as a bit of a shock to her...but I could be wrong; I don't know as we've ever met in person. It may come as a shock to Coteau, too, which never uses the term "science fiction," preferring instead to call the book a "powerful literary thriller." On the other hand, somebody must have nominated the book...)UPDATE: Barbara ...The Nebula Awards…
...have been handed out. These are the awards nominated for and voted on by active members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, which would include me (finally!) this year, although I'm ashamed to say I didn't vote (I simply hadn't read enough of the nominees)...Novel: Seeker, by Jack McDevitt (Ace, Nov. '05)Novella: "Burn," by James Patrick Kelly (podcast version) (Tachyon Publications, Dec. 05)Novelette: "Two Hearts," by Peter S. Beagle (F&SF, Oct./Nov. '05)Short Story: "Echo," by Elizabeth Hand (F&SF, Oct./Nov. '05)Script: Howl's Moving Castle, by Hayao Miyazaki, Cindy Davis Hewitt, and Donald H. Hewitt (Studio ...
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Magebane
“Spectacular” – Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Evil wizards, multi-level conspiracies, hidden kingdoms…Lee Arthur Chane…has done a marvelous job…Magebane is a very entertaining book and well worth the time.” – A.M. Donovan, Night Owl Reviews
I happily recommend Magebane and I’ll certainly give Chane’s next novel a try based on this one.” —Bill Capossere, Fantasy Literature
“…an original and delightful tale of epic fantasy and magic, steampunk science, adventure, tragedy, and love…” – Errant Dreams Reviews
Eight centuries ago, the world changed. A devastating war swept the lands, and the MageLords, who had long ruled by virtue of their spell powers, were driven to a distant place, separated from those they had ruled by a magical Barrier. With magic banished from the rest of the world, the MageLords became mere legend and people turned to science to improve their lives. But if one man has his way, all that is about to change….
Written as Lee Arthur Chane (the middle names of my older brothers, Jimmy Lee and Dwight Arthur, and myself, Edward Chane Willett).
Marseguro
Winner of the 2009 Prix Aurora Award for Best Long-Form Work in English
Water world Marseguro is home to the Selkies, a water-dwelling race created from human DNA. When an unmodified human seeks revenge on a Selkie by activating a distress beacon taken from the remains of the original colony ship, a strikeforce is sent from Earth to eradicate the genetic abomination. Yet Marseguro will not prove as easy to conquer as the Earth force anticipates…
Terra Insegura
Finalist for the 2010 Prix Aurora Award for Best Novel in English
Marseguro, a water world far from Earth, is home to a colony of humans and the Selkies, a water-dwelling race created from modified human DNA. For seventy years the colony has lived in peace. Then Earth discovers Marseguro, and a strike force is sent to eradicate this “abomination.” But Marseguro has created a genetically tailored plague to use against Earth’s Holy Warriors. With the enemy defeated, the people of Marseguro feel they are safe. But Chris Keating, the traitor who signaled Marseguro’s location to the Holy Warriors, has fled to Earth, unknowingly carrying the deadly plague within him. The people of Marseguro feel they must send a ship to Earth with a life-saving vaccine. Only time will tell what awaits them when they reach their destination.
Lost in Translation
Kathryn was a human empath whose world and life had been destroyed when the alien S’sinn slaughtered her parents before her very eyes. Jarrikk was a young S’sinn, an unproven warrior who’d seen his flight mates slaughtered by the humans who’d sought to colonize his world.
As humans and S’sinn found themselves on the brink of war, these two Translators had to work together to find a common ground and avert catastrophe. But whether their Translators’ oath and training could overcome the enemies leagued against them was very much in doubt…
Archives
Song of the Sword
My new YA fantasy novel from Lobster Press
Before the Lady called her, Ariane’s life was a mess. Two years ago, her mother disappeared. She bounced around different foster homes until her aunt finally took her in. The meanest clique at her new high school has decided to make Ariane their prime target. And to top it all off, she is having frightening premonitions, and they are becoming more intense. The moment water touches her skin, she sees visions of a lake, a lady, and a sword. When a staircase opens up in the middle of Wascana Lake and the water begins singing to her, she has no choice but to answer the call….
Historic Walks of Regina and Moose Jaw
Ten walks to points of historic and architectural interest in the cities of Regina and Moose Jaw (eight walks for Regina, two for Moose Jaw).
Johnny Cash: The Man in Black
When country music legend Johnny Cash took the stage at Folsom State Prison in 1968, he solidified the public’s perception of him as a rebel who followed his own path. Born in Arkansas during the Great Depression, Cash endured poverty, the death of his older brother, and a difficult relationship with his father. He turned to gospel and country music to express the pain, and after many years of struggling, his songs of hardship and hope would finally reach the ears of those waiting for an artist who represented them, ordinary people fighting to survive.
Andy Warhol: Everyone Will Be Famous for 15 Minutes
“Paintings are too hard. Machines have less problems…” In the 1960s, Andy Warhol became the most famous creator of a new style of art called pop art, which transformed mass-produced items of popular culture into fine works of art. From Campbell’s Soup cans to photographs of Marilyn Monroe, Warhol’s willingness to use anything and everything from the mass media in his work expanded the range of subject matter available to artists. His avant-garde films, artistic usage of American icons, and unconventional social life made him a controversial figure, both greatly admired and deeply reviled. A trendsetter rather than a trend-follower, a dispassionate observer of both the seamy and celebrity sides of life, Warhol was a true American rebel.
Disease-Hunting Scientist
The true stories of six real disease hunters. Epidemiologists travel the world trying to keep us safe from deadly diseases—from high-tech labs in Canada to remote villages in Africa. Learn how these “disease detectives” are coming up with new ways to fight disease, and find out if you have what it takes to become an epidemiologist, too!
The Bounty Mutiny
The Bounty was a British ship visiting Tahiti in 1789 when some of the crew overthrew the captain, William Bligh, and set him adrift in a tiny boat with sailors loyal to him. The mutiny resulted in a number of trials–both of the men who mutinied and of Bligh for losing command of his ship. These fascinating events have been the source for numerous Hollywood movies, most recently The Bounty. The Bounty Mutiny: From the Court Case to the Movie explores the famous case and the movies it inspired.
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