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From: David Langford <ansible@cix.co.uk>
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Subject: Ansible 442 -- May 2024
Date: Wed, 01 May 2024 16:33:44 +0100
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ANSIBLE(R) 442
MAY 2024 

From DAVID LANGFORD, 94 London Road, Reading, Berks, RG1 5AU, UK. Website
news.ansible.uk. ISSN 0265-9816 (print); 1740-942X (e). Available for SAE,
or the complete and uncensored text of _The Avatar's Apprentice_.

[NET NOTE. See https://news.ansible.uk/a442.html for the nice HTML version;
https://news.ansible.uk/pdf/a442.pdf for a printable PDF. Mailing list
subscribe/unsubscribe information appears below -- please don't send such
requests to my own e-mail address. DRL]


### SCROLL FROM THE NINTH DIMENSION ###

J.G. BALLARD's 1962 fantasy 'The Garden of Time' is the official theme for
this month's New York Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute benefit
gala, whose guests must presumably make the tough choice between dressing
as doomed aristocrats or as the oncoming barbarian horde. (Vanessa
Friedman, _New York Times_, 22 April) [DP]

CORY DOCTOROW on certain billionaires who claim to be influenced by sf:
'These people are saying "we finally created the utopia of _Neuromancer_".
And I look at them and I go, "I don't think you read _Neuromancer_. Maybe
you just played Cyberpunk 2077."' (_Nautilus_, 5 April) [BA]

CHINA MIEVILLE cancelled his acceptance of a literature fellowship at
Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (German Academic Exchange Service)
owing to this institute's seeming complicity with 'a shameful program of
repression and anti-Palestinian racism.' (Xitter, 23 April)

J.M. STRACZYNSKI, introducing a new edition of _Dangerous Visions_,
explains the terrible wasteland that was sf before Harlan Ellison: 'For
most of their history, the science fiction and fantasy genres were known
for stories of vast alien civilizations, far-flung galactic adventures,
ragtag groups against an empire ... and for being studiously safe and
relentlessly unprovocative. There were exceptions, to be sure: _1984_ by
George Orwell, _Brave New World_ by Aldous Huxley, and _A Clockwork Orange_
by Anthony Burgess all being notable examples.' [PDF]

LIZ TRUSS's memoir _Ten Years to Save the West_ (which incidentally 'broke
the rules in place for ministers publishing works about their time in
office' -- Sky News, 18 April) has been sighted in a City of London
bookshop shelved with other 'Sci-Fi and Fantasy'. [SB]


### CONTURBATION ###

Until 19 Oct [] HEROES: THE BRITISH INVASION OF AMERICAN COMICS
(exhibition), Cartoon Museum, London. See tinyurl.com/yf54dm38.

3-6 May [] PARACINEMA CULT FILM FESTIVAL, QUAD Center, Derby. GBP45; GBP25
concessions. Tickets available at paracinema.co.uk.

4-5 May [] GALACTIC GATHERING (_Star Wars_ theme), National Space Centre,
Leicester. See www.spacecentre.co.uk/whats-on/.

11-12 May [] PORTSMOUTH COMIC CON, Guildhall, Portsmouth.GBP37; GBP19.50
concessions; day rates and more at portsmouthcomiccon.com.

15-17 May [] GIFCON (University of Glasgow conference), 'Conjuring
Creatures and Worlds', online. See tinyurl.com/yfdbvdwj.

18-19 May [] HORRORCON UK, Magna, Sheffield. Weekend tickets GBP45 (11am
entry) or GBP55 (10am entry); more at horrorconuk.com.

18-19 May [] SURREY STEAMPUNK CONVIVIAL, Stoneleigh, Epsom. See
bumpandthumper.wixsite.com/steampunkconvivials.

25-26 May [] LAWLESS (UK comics), Hilton Doubletree, Bristol. Weekend
ticket GBP75.60 inc fees; day rates at lawlesscomiccon.co.uk.

31 May - 2 Jun [] CYMERA: Scotland's Festival of SF, Fantasy & Horror
Writing, Edinburgh. See www.cymerafestival.co.uk.

31 May - 2 Jun [] FUNCON ONE, Palace Hotel, Buxton.GBP70 reg; GBP80 with
added 'warm fuzzy feeling'; GBP40 concessions. See funcon.lol.

8-9 Jun [] EM-CON (media), Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham. Weekend tickets
GBP30 (11am entry) or GBP40 (10am) at www.em-con.co.uk.

9 Jun [] SEEK-LOCATE-CELEBRATE (_Blake's 7_; formerly Forever Avon),
Steventon Village Hall, Steventon, Oxford, OX13 5RR. 10am-4pm. See
www.facebook.com/TeamBlakeForeverAvon.

12 Jun [] TOLKIEN LECTURE by Neil Gaiman, Oxford Town Hall, Oxford. 6pm.
See tolkienlecture.org.

22 Jun [] STARS OF TIME (comics), LC, Steam Museum, Swindon. Adult ticket
GBP17.50; other rates at www.starsoftime.co.uk/swindon.

7 Sep [] FIGHTING FANTASY FEST 5, Univ of West London, Ealing. GBP45 reg;
YA GBP20. See www.fightingfantasy.com/fighting-fantasy-fest-5.

24-27 Oct [] CELLULOID SCREAMS horror film festival, Sheffield. Weekend
passes and day tickets awaited at celluloidscreams.com.

18-21 Apr 2025 [] RECONNECT, Hilton Lanyon Place Hotel and ICC,
Belfast.GBP70 reg; GBP40 discounted (_under-18s, concessions, Eastercon
first-timers, fans living in Ireland__)_; GBP25 supporting. See
easterconbelfast.org. _Refunds are offered to those who now qualify for a
discount and paid more._

17-20 Oct 2025 [] IRISH DISCWORLD CONVENTION, Cork International Hotel,
Cork. Membership sales awaited at idwcon.org.

RUMBLINGS. _Glasgow 2024_ (Worldcon) warns in PR4 that projected in-person
attendance is now between 6,500 and 8,500, the latter 'probably above the
maximum holding capacity for the site'. There may be a cap on in-person
attendance: join early and don't join often. But full-page Worldcon ads in
_SFX_ magazine continue. [SF2C]
     _Hugo Voting_ is open (email, 20 April) and closes on 20 July. See
login page at glasgow2024.org/hugo-awards/hugo-awards-final-ballot/.
     _Contabile 35_ (filk, February 2025): venue announcement still awaited
at www.contabile.org.uk/c35/.


### INFINITELY IMPROBABLE ###

AS OTHERS SEE US. UK convention fans were mildly surprised by a report of
the '_All Tomorrow's Futures_ book launch at EasterCon, British Sci-Fi
Association Fest in Telford', hardly any of them having noticed amid the
general desperate fun that 'An increased wave of anxieties about rapid
advancement of AI and impact on jobs has been at the epicentre of EasterCon
this year.' (Cybersalon.org, 18 April) [LE]

AWARDS. _Arthur C. Clarke:_ the complete submissions list of 117 titles was
released on 22 April.
     _Compton Crook_ (sf/fantasy/horror debut): _The Splinter in the Sky_
by Kemi Ashing-Giwa.
     _Horror Writers Association:_ LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT Steve Rasnic Tem,
Mort Castle, Cassandra Peterson. SPECIALTY PRESS Thunderstorm Books.

THOG'S SCIENCE MASTERCLASS. _Higher Mathematics Dept._ 'In both the
cerebro-geometric figures I have mentioned, the complicate figurate of the
empress was mechanically woven into the matrix, and because speed was an
absolute essential, the possible influence of other minds was reduced to a
high level Constant, modified by a simple, oscillating Variable --' (A.E.
van Vogt, _The Weapon Makers_, 1947) [LP]

R.I.P. _Sergey Abramov_ (1944-2024), Russian sf/fantasy author whose 30+
novels include ten collaborations with his father Aleksandr Abramov and six
with his son Artyom Abramov, died on 7 April aged 79. [AM]
     _Paul Auster_ (1947-2024), noted US author whose work includes sf --
such as _In the Country of Last Things_ (1987) -- and magic realism, died
on 30 April aged 77. [PK]
     _David Barrington-Holt_ (1945-2024), UK puppeteer and special effects
artist long associated with the Jim Henson Company, died on 13 March aged
78. [AIP] His films include _The Witches_ (1990), _The Phantom_ (1996),
_George of the Jungle_ (1997) and _Cats & Dogs_ (2001).
     _John Barth_ (1930-2024), US academic and major author who often made
postmodern play with fantasy themes and whose sf magnum opus was _Giles
Goat-Boy_ (1966), died on 2 April aged 93. [PDF]
     _Andreas Bjorklind_ (1967-2024), Swedish fan who was founding chairman
of the Linkoping sf club and co-organized the early ConFuse conventions
held there from 1991, died on 17 April aged 57. [J-HH]
     _F. Yorick Blumenfeld_ (1932-2024), Dutch-born UK author whose sf
works are the post-holocaust story _Jenny Ewing: My Diary_ (1981) and
_2099: A Eutopia_ (1999), died on 8 April aged 91. [AIP]
     _Mark D. Bright_ (1955-2024), US comics artist active since 1977, who
worked on _Iron Man_, _Green Lantern_, _Quantum and Woody_ (as co-creator)
and others, died on 27 March aged 68. [F770]
     _Robin Browne_ (1941-2024), UK cinematographer and visual effects
artist whose many credits include _Moonraker_ (1979), _Krull_ (1983) and
_King Kong Lives_ (1986), died on 28 March aged 82. [AIP]
     _Antonio Cantafora_ (1944-2024), Italian actor -- also as 'Michael
Coby' -- in _Baron Blood_ (1972), _Supersonic Man_ (1972) and _A spasso nel
tempo_ (1996), died on 20 April aged 80. [SJ]
     _Terry Carter_ (1928-2024), US actor in _Battlestar Galactica_
(1978-1979, film and tv) and other genre series, died on 23 April aged 95.
     _Carolyn Caughey_, Canadian-born former publishing director at Hodder
& Stoughton, where she published many crime and sf authors 1981-2000, died
on 14 March. [AIP]
     _Ray Chan_ (1967-2024), UK art director of _Thunderbirds_ (2004),
_Children of Men_ (2006), _Guardians of the Galaxy_ (2014), _Avengers:
Infinity War/Endgame_ (2018/2019) and others, died on 23 April aged 56.
[SJ]
     _Jubilee Cho_ (1998-2024), author of the forthcoming children's
fantasy _Wishing Well, Wishing Well_, died on 6 March aged 25. (SFWA)
========== REMAINDER OF ARTICLE TRUNCATED ==========