While waiting for my copy of Ursula Le Guin's Lavinia to arrive, I worked my way through the short fiction nominated for this year's BSFA awards. (I have been a BSFA member since the 2005 Worldcon, and am now kicking myself for not doing this in previous years.) I list the six stories below, in my reverse order of preference. NB that the two I ( Read more... )

In years gone by I used to do a mega-meta-review of all the Hugo nominees in the written fiction categories for that year. well, I have decided that life is too short to repeat the exercise again, but I have now read all the shortlisted novels and novellas. (The novellas, except for one, are available in electronic form from the WorldCon.) If you ( Read more... )

2) Brasyl, by Ian McDonald

My reading of this year's Hugo nominees continues with another good 'un, Ian McDonald's latest. The setting of Brazil fits his lush, dense writing style so well that it is remarkable that he's never set a novel in real South America before (his two books set on Mars portray a rather Patagonian version of the planet, but it ( Read more... )

A shorter visit today.

( Read more... )

A great day at MeCon yesterday - I post these pictures and a video to make you all feel jealous that you weren't there.

( MeCon X )

For next June ( Read more... )

17) King of Morning, Queen of Day, by ianmcdonaldHad been on the lookout for this for a while, partly because of now knowing the author and also partly because of my general interest in sf and fantasy set in Ireland. Finally picked it up at Worldcon, and, folks, it is good ( Read more... )

( What I got in Glasgow )

We resume on Sunday afternoon, when I returned from lunch to find myself witnessing the official photograph of the official signing of the official contract for the new edition of The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, by John Clute, Dave Langford and Peter Nicholls. I was pleased to learn later from Dave Langford that he is fairly optimistic it can ( Read more... )

Yesterday was my heavy panel day, in that I was on one with ianmcdonald, Ian McLeod and James Lovegrove at 10 am on "The Breakup of Britain", and then moderating another with a more European theme at 11 with Harry Turtledove, Jon Courtenay Grimwood, Keith Brooke and Patrick Gyger. The first one was fairly full; the second, in a much bigger hall with over 200 ( Read more... )