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SFWA Announces 2012 Nebula Award Winners

Awards, Books, Science Fiction No Responses »

May 182013

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) have announced the winners of the 2012 Nebula Awards, the Ray Bradbury Award, and the Andre Norton Award.

Here are the nominees; the winners are shown in bold.

Novel:

2312, Kim Stanley Robinson (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
Throne of the Crescent Moon, Saladin Ahmed (DAW; Gollancz ’13)
Ironskin, Tina Connolly (Tor)
The Killing Moon, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
The Drowning Girl, Caitlín R. Kiernan (Roc)
Glamour in Glass, Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor)

Novella:

After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall, Nancy Kress (Tachyon)
On a Red Station, Drifting, Aliette de Bodard (Immersion Press)
“The Stars Do Not Lie,” Jay Lake (Asimov’s 10-11/12)
“All the Flavors,” Ken Liu (GigaNotoSaurus 2/1/12)
“Katabasis,” Robert Reed (F&SF 11-12/12)
“Barry’s Tale,” Lawrence M. Schoen (Buffalito Buffet)

Novelette:

“Close Encounters,” Andy Duncan (The Pottawatomie Giant & Other Stories)
“The Pyre of New Day,” Catherine Asaro (The Mammoth Books of SF Wars)
“The Waves,” Ken Liu (Asimov’s 12/12)
“The Finite Canvas,” Brit Mandelo (Tor.com 12/5/12)
“Swift, Brutal Retaliation,” Meghan McCarron (Tor.com 1/4/12)
“Portrait of Lisane da Patagnia,” Rachel Swirsky (Tor.com 8/22/12)
“Fade to White,” Catherynne M. Valente (Clarkesworld 8/12)

Short Story:

“Immersion,” Aliette de Bodard (Clarkesworld 6/12)
“Robot,” Helena Bell (Clarkesworld 9/12)
“Fragmentation, or Ten Thousand Goodbyes,” Tom Crosshill (Clarkesworld 4/12)
“Nanny’s Day,” Leah Cypess (Asimov’s 3/12)
“Give Her Honey When You Hear Her Scream,” Maria Dahvana Headley (Lightspeed 7/12)
“The Bookmaking Habits of Select Species,” Ken Liu (Lightspeed 8/12)
“Five Ways to Fall in Love on Planet Porcelain,” Cat Rambo (Near + Far)

Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation

Beasts of the Southern Wild, Benh Zeitlin (director), Benh Zeitlin and Lucy Abilar (writers), (Journeyman/Cinereach/Court 13/Fox Searchlight)
The Avengers, Joss Whedon (director) and Joss Whedon and Zak Penn (writers), (Marvel/Disney)
The Cabin in the Woods, Drew Goddard (director), Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard (writers) (Mutant Enemy/Lionsgate)
The Hunger Games, Gary Ross (director), Gary Ross, Suzanne Collins, and Billy Ray (writers), (Lionsgate)
John Carter, Andrew Stanton (director), Michael Chabon, Mark Andrews, and Andrew Stanton (writers), (Disney)
Looper, Rian Johnson (director), Rian Johnson (writer), (FilmDistrict/TriStar)

Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy Book

Fair Coin, E.C. Myers (Pyr)
Iron Hearted Violet, Kelly Barnhill (Little, Brown)
Black Heart, Holly Black (McElderry; Gollancz)
Above, Leah Bobet (Levine)
The Diviners, Libba Bray (Little, Brown; Atom)
Vessel, Sarah Beth Durst (S&S/McElderry)
Seraphina, Rachel Hartman (Random House; Doubleday UK)
Enchanted, Alethea Kontis (Harcourt)
Every Day, David Levithan (Knopf)
Summer of the Mariposas, Guadalupe Garcia McCall (Tu Books)
Railsea, China Miéville (Del Rey; Macmillan)
Above World, Jenn Reese (Candlewick)

Solstice Awards were awarded to editor Ginjer Buchanan and astronomer and entertainer Carl Sagan, the latter of which was accepted by his son Nick Sagan.

The Kevin O’Donnell Jr. Service Award was awarded to Michael Payne.

The winners are announced at SFWA’s 48th Annual Nebula Awards Weekend, held Thursday through Sunday, May 16 to May 19, 2013 at the San Jose Hilton in San Jose, California. Borderland Books hosted the mass autograph session from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 17th at the San Jose Hilton.

As announced earlier this year, Gene Wolfe was the recipient of the 2012 Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award for his lifetime contributions to, and achievements in, the field. Founded in 1965 by the late Damon Knight, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America brings together the most successful and daring writers of speculative fiction throughout the world.

Campbell & Locus Award Nominations Announced For 2103

Awards, Books, Fandom, Science Fiction No Responses »

May 142013

The Locus Awards Nominations

The Locus Awards are presented to winners of Locus Magazine‘s annual readers’ poll, which was established in the early ’70s specifically to provide recommendations and suggestions to Hugo Awards voters. Over the decades the Locus Awards have often drawn more voters than the Hugos and Nebulas combined. In recent years Locus Awards are presented at an annual banquet, and unlike any other award, explicitly honor publishers of winning works with certificates. The first Locus Awards were given in 1971.

Locus has announced the nominees for the 2013 Locus Awards. The winners will be announced at the Science Fiction Awards Weekend in Seattle, Washington with Master of Ceremonies, Connie Willis. The finalists in the novel categories are:

SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL

The Hydrogen Sonata, Iain M. Banks (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance, Lois McMaster Bujold (Baen)
Caliban’s War, James S.A. Corey (AKA: Daniel Abraham and Ty Frank) (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
2312, Kim Stanley Robinson (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
Redshirts, John Scalzi (Tor; Gollancz)

FANTASY NOVEL

The Killing Moon, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
The Drowning Girl, Caitlín R. Kiernan (Roc)
Glamour in Glass, Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor)
Hide Me Among the Graves, Tim Powers (Morrow; Corvus)
The Apocalypse Codex, Charles Stross (Ace; Orbit UK)

YOUNG ADULT NOVEL

The Drowned Cities, Paolo Bacigalupi (Little, Brown; Atom)
Pirate Cinema, Cory Doctorow (Tor Teen)
Railsea, China Miéville (Del Rey; Macmillan)
Dodger, Terry Pratchett (Harper; Doubleday UK)
The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There, Catherynne M. Valente (Feiwel & Friends; Much-in-Little ’13)

FIRST NOVEL

Throne of the Crescent Moon, Saladin Ahmed (DAW; Gollancz ’13)
vN: The First Machine Dynasty, Madeline Ashby (Angry Robot US; Angry Robot UK)
Seraphina, Rachel Hartman (Random House; Doubleday UK)
The Games, Ted Kosmatka (Del Rey; Titan)
Alif the Unseen, G. Willow Wilson (Grove; Corvus)

Visit Locus Online for the official press release and the complete list of finalists in all categories. Congrats to all the finalists and best of luck in June!

The Campbell Awards Nominations

The John W. Campbell Memorial Award for the best science-fiction novel of the year is one of the three major annual awards for science fiction. The first Campbell Award was presented at the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1973. Since then the Award has been presented in various parts of the world: at California State University at Fullerton; at St. John’s College, Oxford; at the World SF Writers Conference in Dublin; in Stockholm; at the World SF meeting in Dublin again; the University of Kansas; and in a joint event with the SFRA Convention in Kansas City in 2007.

Since 1979, the Campbell Award has been presented during the Campbell Conference Awards Banquet at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, as the focal point of a weekend of discussions about the writing, illustration, publishing, teaching, and criticism of science fiction.

The Award was created to honor the late editor of Astounding Science Fiction magazine, now named Analog. Campbell, who edited the magazine from 1937 until his death in 1971, is called by many writers and scholars the father of modern science fiction. Writers and critics Harry Harrison and Brian W. Aldiss established the award in Campbell’s name as a way of continuing his efforts to encourage writers to produce their best possible work.

The Hydrogen Sonata, Iain M. Banks (Orbit)
Any Day Now, Terry Bisson (Overlook)
Existence, David Brin (Tor)
The Rapture of the Nerds, Cory Doctorow & Charles Stross (Tor)
Empty Space, M. John Harrison (Night Shade)
Intrusion, Ken MacLeod (Orbit)
Railsea, China Miéville (Del Rey)
The Fractal Prince, Hannu Rajaniemi (Tor)
Blue Remembered Earth, Alastair Reynolds (Ace)
Jack Glass: The Story of a Murderer, Adam Roberts (Gollancz)
2312, Kim Stanley Robinson (Orbit)
Slow Apocalypse, John Varley (Ace)
Alif the Unseen, G. Willow Wilson (Grove Press)

The award, for best SF novel, will be presented during the Campbell Conference, to be held July 13-16, 2013 at the Oread Hotel in Lawrence KS.

Kim Stanly Robinson’s 2312 has now been nominated for an impressive six awards.

Krypton Radio First Look: ‘Ender’s Game’ Trailer

Books, Movies, Science Fiction No Responses »

May 092013

Here is a link to download the high resolution movie poster suitable for wallpaper on your computer. Consider making a donation to Krypton Radio while you’re about things – even small donations help.

The first of what we presume will be several trailers for the new movie Ender’s Game, based on the 1985 novel by Orson Scott Card and starring Harrison Ford and newcomer Asa Butterfield, was released just the other day. Here’s your first look at it from Krypton Radio.

The sci-fi high adventure thriller sets the stage with an imperiled humankind that has barely survived two conflicts with the “Buggers”, an insectoid alien species. They know the third invasion is coming. An international fleet maintains a school to find and train future fleet commanders. The world’s most talented children, including the novel’s protagonist, Ender Wiggin, are taken at a very young age to a training center known as the Battle School where they are taught in increasingly difficult games including ones undertaken in zero gravity in the Battle Room, where Ender’s tactical genius is revealed.

Critics at the time denounced Card’s perceived justification of his characters’ violent actions, and in fact it is Wiggin’s ultraviolent tendencies that bring him to the attention of the Battle School in the first place. The book is suggested reading for many military organizations, including the United States Marine Corps. It’s won several awards, including the Nebula in 1985 and the Hugo in 1986 for best novel.

For decades the book was thought to be unfilmable owing to the many zero gravity sequences and visual effects, though modern CG capabilities have finally removed that obstacle. The film is directed by Gavin Hood, and is planned for release on November 1, 2013. Card is co-producing the film.

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Event Horizon: James Palmer – ‘Monster Earth’ from Mechanoid Press

Books, Science Fiction, The Event Horizon No Responses »

May 042013

palmer-james This evening’s guest on The Event Horizon is science fiction writer James Palmer. We talk about his publishing company Mechanoid Press, his creative process developing his first anthology called Monster Earth – not only as a writer of what he terms new pulp, but as an editor of anthology works as well. It’s a fascinating look at the underpinnings of popular fiction and the origins of our modern storytelling milieu.

James Palmer has written articles, interviews, book reviews, and poetry for Strange Horizons, RevolutionSF.com, Tangent Online and other online and print publications.

His fiction has been published by Airship 27, Pro Se Productions, and White Rocket Books, and his stories appear in Gideon Cain: Demon Hunter, Blackthorn: Thunder on Mars and the forthcoming Mars McCoy: Space Ranger volume 2. He is also the author of the ebooks Slow Djinn and Four Terrors: Weird Horror Tales. Through his publishing imprint Mechanoid Press, James is also editor and publisher of Monster Earth, an original giant monster anthology.

The James Palmer episode airs at 9PM Pacific, 12AM Eastern tonight exclusively on Krypton Radio, but airs again Sunday at 4PM Pacific, 7PM Eastern.

Don’t miss it!

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Event Horizon (Ep 11) James Palmer of Mechanoid Press [ 58:48 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Great Conjunction: Fandom Celebrates Fandom

Books, Comics, Editorials, Events, Fandom, Krypton Radio, Science Fiction No Responses »

May 042013

Krypton Radio Publishes ARTICLE 1000 !

I wanted to make this, the 1000th article published by Krypton Radio, something special – and by merest chance it happened on May 4, which is shaping up to be a fantastic day for fans everywhere!

Being a science fiction fan has never been more fun or more exciting. There is so much going on in Fandom, and it’s becoming so much more popular and accepted that there are wonderful things all around us, nearly all the time. Today, though, we’re experiencing a sort of new Renaissance. Being a geek has never been more exciting, and fandom has never been more important a part of our daily lives. And today in specific illustrates the point very nicely.

Today is Star Wars Day. It started out as something of a pun, but now even LucasFilm is playing along with its Star Wars Day attack ad. Yes, as a nation we do love us some Star Wars.

It’s also Free Comic Book Day, founded 12 years ago by comic aficionado Joe Field, owner of Flying Colors Comics in California and co-founder of a nonprofit trade group, Comics Professional Retail Organization (ComicsPRO).

It’s designed to promote a love of comics and expose new readers to this traditional American artform. Comics emphasize the moral compas, the center of right versus wrong. There’s an event near you! Look up the list of participants on the Free Comic Book Day web site.

It’s also the day most people are going to go see Iron Man 3, which debuted in various places around the world two days ago, but late Friday night in the United States, and we have comic books and our own enthusiasm for them to thank for the fact that this exists at all.

Today is also the day that the BBC and the Doctor Who production team announced that they have three million fans on the official Doctor Who Facebook page, or as Strax the Sontaran puts it, “The Book of Face”. (You may have to be on Facebook to see the video).

It’s a great day to be a sci-fi geek today, this May 4, 2013. There’s so much to write about, so much to tell you about, and so much fun to have today that we can’t possibly cover it all in a single article.

Today is your day, but from now on, if you’re a sci-fi / fantasy / comics geek, every day is your day. From me and all your friends at Krypton Radio, welcome to the New Age of Geek. You have arrived.

Krypton Radio Owner & General Manager Gene Turnbow

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John Scalzi: May You Live in Interesting Times

Books, Community, Events, Games, Net Culture, Science Fiction No Responses »

Apr 242013

by staff writer Laura Davis

John Scalzi, LATFOB 2013

Richard Kadrey, LATFOB 2013

As the crowd settles in for John Scalzi’s talk at the L.A. Times Festival of Books 2013, Richard Kadrey begins his introduction, “John Scalzi, [session number] 2064, Richard Kadrey…”

Scalzi interjects, “Isn’t there a video game, Robotron 2064, something like that?”

“Twenty EIGHTY four!” comes from the audience.

“Shut UP!” Scalzi retorts, laughing. “Forty seconds in and I’ve already been nerd corrected! Can’t take you kids anywhere!”

And so it begins.

John Scalzi is a Hugo award-winning Sci-Fi writer, journalist, business writer, script and game writer, and author of the blog, Whatever. His style of not pulling punches yet delivering them with a wicked sense of humor makes for very entertaining reading. Last fall, his satirical post, “A Fan Letter to Certain Conservative Politicians,” signed “Just Another Rapist” triggered a tidal wave of responses, both by fans and by those who do not understand the concept of satire.

Earlier this year, a troll began attacking Scalzi online, inciting his followers to flood Scalzi’s blog with hateful commentary. Scalzi’s response? In a post entitled, “Solving My Racist Sexist Homophobic Dip[$#!t] Problem,” Scalzi pledged to put $5 into a fund every time the troll mentioned Scalzi’s name (or a nickname for him) on his blog. Fans monitored the troll’s blog and kept account. The fund (Scalzi offered up to $1,000 of his own money) would be divided among charities serving women, people of color, and the LGBT community. As Scalzi’s fans asked to join in the fun, they raised over $50,000 for these charities, and succeeded in really infuriating said troll. That’s how Scalzi rolls.

Earthquack at Festival of Books

Books, Community, Events, Science Fiction, Star Trek No Responses »

Apr 222013

by staff writer, Laura Davis

Jay Nadeau (left) and Chris Lindensmith

The folks at Bitingduck Press took Earth Day seriously. Very seriously. Editor-in-Chief Jay Nadeau and Technology Director Chris Lindensmith decided to combine their weekend as vendors at the L.A. Times Festival of Books with observing Earth Day. To that end, they hitched trailers to their bicycles, loaded up all of the books they needed for the weekend and display materials, and rode from Altadena, California (in the San Gabriel Valley foothills) to USC. It’s 20 miles each way, with an elevation change of approximately 1,200 feet. It took them about an hour and fifteen minutes to get to the festival: the downhill leg of the journey.

How did this ambitious plan come about? Nadeau explains, “I had this folding bike, Bike Friday, that I bought to go to the Arctic for my field work. There were no roads, so you pretty much had a choice of walking or using an ATV. The campsites were about 12 kilometers aparts and it was really muddy while I was there. That’s a long walk in the mud, so I thought why not try it with a bike?” The Bike Friday comes with a trailer, which is a hard-sided Samsonite case, fitted with wheels and a hitch. When you’re not riding, the bike can be stowed in the trailer. She got used to carrying supplies back and forth in the bike trailer, and her relationship with Bike Friday was cemented. It’s a bit of a challenge, though. “The trailers oscillate,” Nadeau adds. Ouch.

“When we planned to go to the book festival,” Nadeau continues, “I told Chris we should ride our bikes, but he would have to get a trailer, too.” Nadeau had experience at riding the route, since she rode her bike to USC while attending grad school there. “It takes some time to find a good route, especially when you get into that Downtown area.” Her chosen way? Down Arroyo, past the Rose Bowl, all the way to Pasadena Avenue, Main to Spring, and Flower from 8th on.

Despite the challenges of getting all of their stock to the festival on bikes, Bitingduck Press put out a great selection from their publishing catalog, which ranges from non-fiction -both fun and serious – to mysteries, to a historical maritime fiction series set in the 18th century. As they were telling me the story of riding to the festival, my eyes landed on the stack of 436-page copies of The Classic Star Trek Trivia Book sitting on the table. Nadeau laughed and said, “Yes, we hope to sell lots of those before we have to ride back home!”

In a quick follow-up today, I asked how long it took them to get home. Three hours, according to Nadeau, and mostly uphill. Would they do it again? She doesn’t miss a beat. “Definitely.”

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L.A. Times Festival of Books Wrap Up

Books, Comics, Community, Events, Marvel / DC No Responses »

Apr 222013

Flash has just run around the world. Again. The Justice League showed off their best moves before reading "I am Aquaman: Justice League Visits Atlantis," which is part of HarperCollins' "I Can Read" series.

by staff writer Laura Davis

That’s it for LATFOB 2013. What a dizzying assortment of books, talks, characters and people! The Trojan marching band was spectacular despite the heat, and it seemed that after a week of heartbreaking and terrifying news, everyone was ready to enjoy a pleasant weekend. Festival organizers made not only the impressive food court at USC available to attendees this year, but about a dozen gourmet food trucks were also on hand, so people had a huge variety of choices, and were generally able to get food in a reasonable length of time. Many festival fans are still upset over the venue change from UCLA to USC, but USC has plenty of shade and plenty of places to sit and take a break, a flat campus, and better parking and accessibility. As great as the festival was at UCLA, it’s better at USC.

This year, Warner Bros. had an even greater presence in the Children’s area, featuring the Mystery Machine and Scooby Doo, and Justice League characters, activities, and photo opps. Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Flash put in an appearance on the children’s stage to read from I Am Aquaman: Justice League Visits Atlantis, and the kids were mesmerized.

Lucy Dahl, daughter of Roald Dahl and inspiration for his Matilda, gave a warm talk, and in reply to a question about advice for young writers, she shared a letter written to her by her father on December 10, 1986, while he was writing Matilda:

“Dear Luke (that was his nickname for Lucy, she explains), the reason I haven’t written for a long time is that I have been giving every moment to a children’s book…and now at last, it’s finished and I know jolly well I’m going to have to spend the next 3 months re-writing the second half. The first half is great, about a girl who can move things with her eyes, and about a terrible headmistress who lifts small children up by their hair and hangs them out of the upstairs windows by one ear. But I have got now to think of a really decent second half, the present one will al be scrapped: three months’ work gone out of the window. But that’s the way it is. I must have re-written Charlie 5 or 6 times, although no one knows it.” She laughs and adds, “Well, now you do! So, I think that to answer [the] question, it’s not easy to write stories and to get them right. I know that one of his biggest fears while writing, and I’ve heard him say this many times, was to lose the attention of his reader and to keep them with him all of the time.”

Authors Austin Grossman, Scott Hutchins, Lydia Netzer, and Robin Sloan formed a lively panel, Fiction from the 22nd Century; and John Scalzi gave a great talk, in conversation with Richard Kadrey. We’ll feature full coverage on both of these events shortly. Stay tuned!

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The Locus Awards Nominations

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Krypton Radio Publishes ARTICLE 1000 !