Tag: science fiction

What a setting for a science fiction story!

A Neptune-sized planet made of hot ice and shrouded with steam, orbiting a star just 30 light years away. More important than its fictional possibilities, of course, is the fact that it seems to have a lot of water, albeit it in ultra-dense, ultra-hot solid form. A little further out from its sun, and it …

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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. …

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Spock’s home planet in our sights?

I haven’t posted anything Star Trek-related in, oh, days, so here’s something: Science fiction may soon become science fact. Astronomers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory have recently concluded that the upcoming planet-finding mission, SIM PlanetQuest, would be able to detect an Earth-like planet around the star 40 Eridani, a planet familiar to “Star Trek” fans …

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Rise of the aircar?

Gress Aerospace has plans for an automobile-sized single seat vertical take-off and landing aircraft. In SF circles, we call that an “aircar.”

From Verne to Vonnegut…

…is the name of this exhibition, celebrating “A Century of Science Fiction,” at the University of Delaware Library. I’ve only scratched the surface of what they’ve put on the Web, but I’ll be back to read it in depth. Alas, it seems unlikely I’ll make it to the University of Delaware to see the actual …

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Science fiction headline of the day:

“Star Trek shields will protect man in space.” From the TimesOnline story: “It’s no accident that Star Trek featured this sort of technology, as it had advisers who work for Nasa and it’s feasible,” Dr Bamford said. “The shields seem to be some sort of invisible barrier, which energy bounces off, and that sort of …

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International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day

In response to this rant by the outgoing Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America vice-president Howard V. Hendrix, in which he takes issue with the growing practice of writers posting work online for anyone to read for free, World Fantasy Winner and current Nebula Award nominee Jo Walton has had an idea: I am …

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Marseguro update

I’ve finally heard from Sheila Gilbert at DAW regarding my new book (which she refers to as Marseguro, so maybe that actually will be the title); she’s going to call tomorrow to discuss some editorial revisions (a few things that need “fleshing out” and some “points we need to discuss for clarification”). Wish me luck! …

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"Is the universe expanding or contracting?"

The science fiction universe, that is: Publisher’s Weekly has a cover story on the state of SF and fantasy publishing. My publisher, DAW, gets a mention although, alas, my book is not the “hot title” from them that gets mentioned.

Neil Gaiman one step closer to sainthood…

…and other April Fool’s “stories” are at Locus Online. Apparently it is not an April Fool’s story, however, that here has been a correction to the Hugo Award nominees I listed recently: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest has been replaced on the long-form dramatic presentation ballot by Pan’s Labyrinth.

Hugo Award nominees announced

The Hugo Awards, for those who don’t know, are roughly equivalent to science fiction’s People’s Choice Awards. Nominees are nominated and voted on by members of the World Science Fiction Convention, and the Hugo Awards Ceremony is always a centrepiece of said convention, which this year is being held in Yokohama, Japan. Here are this …

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The civilized way to fly

I love airships, and I’m not alone. Award-winning children’s author Kenneth Oppel, for example, obviously loves them: his recent novels Airborn and Skybreaker are set in an alternate world where airships, not airplanes, rule the skies. Canadian science fiction writer Karl Schroeder must love them, too: his novels Sun of Suns and Queen of Candesce, …

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