The list of finalists for this year’s Prix Aurora Awards were announced today.

This year’s nominees are:

Best Long-Form Work in English:
As Fate Decrees by Denysé Bridger (published by EDGE Publishing)
New Moon’s Arms by Nalo Hopkinson (Grand Central Publishing)
The Moon Under Her Feet by Derwin Mak (Windstorm Creative)
Rollback by Robert J. Sawyer (Tor/Analog)
Cry Wolf by Edo van Belkom (McClelland & Stewart)

Best Long-Form Work in French:
Alegracia et les Xayiris by Dominic Bellavance (Les Six Brumes)
La-haut sur la Colline by Claude Bolduc (Solaris)
Cimetière du musée by Diane Boudreau (du Phoenix)
Le Parasite by Georges LaFontaine (Guy Saint-Jean)
Arielle Queen by Michel J. Lévesque (Les Intouchables)

Best Short-Form Work in English:
“Falling” by David Clink (On Spec)
“Saturn in G Minor” by Stephen Kotowych (Writers of the Future XXIII)
“Metamorphoses in Amber” by Tony Pi (Abyss & Apex)
“The Dancer at the Red Door” by Douglas Smith (Under Cover of Darkness)
“Like Water in the Desert” by Hayden Trenholm (Challenging Destiny)

Best Short-Form Work in French:
“Le Luthier” by Mathieu Fortin (Solaris)
“Les Lucioles d’Alliante” by Michèle Laframboise (QUAD9)
“L’Ancienne famille” by Michel J. Lévesque (Les Six Brumes)
“Le sang noir” by Michel J. Lévesque (Solaris)
“Sur la plage des Èpaves” by Laurent MacAllister (Solaris)

Best Work in English (Other):
Polaris: A Celebration of Polar Science edited by Julie E. Czerneda (Star Ink)
Under Cover of Darkness edited by Julie E. Czerneda & Jana Paniccia (DAW)
Tesseracts Eleven edited by Cory Doctorow and Holly Phillips (Edge)
Neo-opsis edited by Karl Johanson
On Spec Magazine edited by Diane Walton

Best Work in French (Other):
No nominations.

Artistic Achievement:
Lar deSouza (for On Spec Winter 2000; Parsec Spring/Summer 2007)
Ronn Sutton Elvira (for Mistress of the Dark #165-166)
Stephanie Ann Johanson (for Neo-opsis #11 interior illustrations)
Jean-Pierre Normand
Martin Springett

Fan Achievement (Fanzine):
Dale Spiers for Opuntia (this is the only nominee, but each category also has the option for “No Award”)

Fan Achievement (Organizational):
Debbie Hodgins (KAG)
Penny Lipman (Masquerades)
Roy Miles (IDIC)
Joan Sherman (IDIC)
Geoffrey Toop (DWIN)

Fan Achievement (Other):
Paul Bobbitt (editor of The Voyageur)
Judith Hayman (filk performances)
Peggy Warner LaLonde (filk performances)
Martin Springett (filk performances)
Larry Stewart (MC)

This year, the awards will be handed out at Keycon 25, which will be held 16-19 May in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

– S.

Hi all –

The list of this year’s Hugo Award finalists have been announced (see below). Congratulations to Rob Sawyer, whose book Rollback has been shortlisted in the Best Novel category.

You’ll note that I’m not nominated in either of the categories that I was eligible for–Best Short Story and John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. Shocking, I know 😛

– S.

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2008 HUGO AWARDS NOMINEES

Best Novel
The Yiddish Policeman’s Union by Michael Chabon (HarperCollins, Fourth Estate)
Brasyl by Ian McDonald (Gollancz; Pyr)
Rollback by Robert J. Sawyer (Tor; Analog Oct. 2006-Jan/Feb. 2007)
The Last Colony by John Scalzi (Tor)
Halting State by Charles Stross (Ace)

Best Novella
“The Fountain of Age” by Nancy Kress (Asimov’s July 2007)
“Recovering Apollo 8” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (Asimov’s Feb. 2007)
“Stars Seen Through Stone” by Lucius Shepard (F&SF July 2007)
“All Seated on the Ground” by Connie Willis (Asimov’s Dec. 2007, Subterranean Press)
“Memorare” by Gene Wolfe (F&SF April 2007)

Best Novelette
“The Cambist and Lord Iron: a Fairytale of Economics” by Daniel Abraham (Logorrhea, ed. John
Klima, Bantam)
“The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate” by Ted Chiang (F&SF Sept. 2007)
“Dark Integers” by Greg Egan (Asimov’s Oct./Nov. 2007)
“Glory” by Greg Egan (The New Space Opera, ed. Gardner Dozois and Jonathan Strahan, HarperCollins/Eos)
“Finisterra” by David Moles (F&SF Dec. 2007)

Best Short Story
“Last Contact” by Stephen Baxter (The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction, ed. George Mann, Solaris Books)
“Tideline” by Elizabeth Bear (Asimov’s June 2007)
“Who’s Afraid of Wolf 359?” by Ken MacLeod (The New Space Opera, ed. by Gardner Dozois, and Jonathan Strahan, HarperCollins/Eos)
“Distant Replay” by Mike Resnick (Asimov’s April/May 2007)
“A Small Room in Koboldtown” by Michael Swanwick (Asimov’s April/May 2007, The Dog Said Bow-Wow, Tachyon Publications)

Best Related Book
The Company They Keep: C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien as Writers in Community by Diana Glyer; appendix by David Bratman (Kent State University Press)
Breakfast in the Ruins: Science Fiction in the Last Millennium by Barry Malzberg (Baen)
Emshwiller: Infinity x Two by Luis Ortiz, intro. by Carol Emshwiller, fwd. by Alex Eisenstien (Nonstop)
Brave New Words: The Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction by Jeff Prucher (Oxford University Press)
The Arrival by Shaun Tan (Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form
Enchanted Written by Bill Kelly Directed by Kevin Lima (Walt Disney Pictures)
The Golden Compass Written by Chris Weitz Based on the novel by Philip Pullman Directed by
Chris Weitz (New Line Cinema)
Heroes, Season 1 Created by Tim Kring (NBC Universal Television and Tailwind Productions
Written by Tim Kring, Jeff Loeb, Bryan Fuller, Michael Green, Natalie Chaidez, Jesse Alexander, Adam Armus, Aron Eli Coleite, Joe Pokaski, Christopher Zatta, Chuck Kim. Directed by David Semel, Allan Arkush, Greg Beeman, Ernest R. Dickerson, Paul Shapiro, Donna Deitch, Paul A. Edwards, John Badham, Terrence O’Hara, Jeannot Szwarc, Roxann Dawson, Kevin Bray, Adam Kane
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Written by Michael Goldenberg Based on the novel by J.K. Rowling Directed by David Yates (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Stardust Written by Jane Goldman & Matthew Vaughn Based on the novel by Neil Gaiman Directed by Matthew Vaughn (Paramount Pictures)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form
Battlestar Galactica “Razor” Written by Michael Taylor Directed by Félix Enríquez Alcalá and
Wayne Rose (Sci Fi Channel) (televised version, not DVD)
Doctor Who “Blink” Written by Stephen Moffat Directed by Hettie Macdonald (BBC)
Doctor Who “Human Nature” / “Family of Blood” Written by Paul Cornell Directed by Charles Palmer (BBC)
Star Trek New Voyages “World Enough and Time” Written by Michael Reaves & Marc Scott
Zicree Directed by Marc Scott Zicree (Cawley Entertainment Co. and The Magic Time Co.)
Torchwood “Captain Jack Harkness” Written by Catherine Tregenna Directed by Ashley Way
(BBC Wales)

Best Professional Editor, Short Form
Ellen Datlow (The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror (St. Martins), Coyote Road (Viking), Inferno (Tor))
Stanley Schmidt (Analog)
Jonathan Strahan (The New Space Opera (HarperCollins/Eos), The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume 1 (Night Shade), Eclipse One (NightShade))
Gordon Van Gelder (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction)
Sheila Williams (Asimov’s Science Fiction)

Best Professional Editor, Long Form
Lou Anders (Pyr)
Ginjer Buchanan (Ace/Roc)
David G. Hartwell (Tor/Forge)
Beth Meacham (Tor)
Patrick Nielsen Hayden (Tor)

Best Professional Artist
Bob Eggleton (Covers: Outcast Stars and Others (Baen), Ivory (Pyr), and The Taint and Other Stories (Subterranean))
Phil Foglio (Cover: Robert Asprin’s Myth Adventures, Vol. 2 (Meisha Merlin), (Dragon Magazine Aug. 2007, What’s NewGirl Genius Vol. 6-Agatha Heterodyne & the Golden Trilobite (Airship Entertainment))
John Harris : Spindrift (Ace), Horizons (Tor), The Last Colony (Tor)
Stephan Martiniere (Covers: Brasyl (Pyr), Mainspring (Tor), The Dragons of Babel (Tor))
John Picacio (Covers: Fast Forward 2 (Pyr), Time’s Child (HarperCollins/Eos), A Thousand Deaths (Golden Gryphon))
Shaun Tan

Best Semiprozine
Ansible edited by David Langford
Helix edited by William Sanders and Lawrence Watt-Evans
Interzone edited by Andy Cox
Locus edited by Charles N. Brown, Kirsten Gong-Wong, and Liza Groen Trombi
New York Review of Science Fiction edited by Kathryn Cramer, Kristine Dikeman, David G. Hartwell, and Kevin J. Maroney

Best Fanzine
Argentus edited by Steven H Silver
Challenger edited by Guy Lillian III
Drink Tank edited by Chris Garcia
File 770 edited by Mike Glyer
PLOKTA edited by Alison Scott, Steve Davies, and Mike Scott

Best Fan Writer
Chris Garcia
David Langford
Cheryl Morgan
John Scalzi
Steven H Silver

Best Fan Artist
Brad Foster
Teddy Harvia
Sue Mason
Steve Stiles
Taral Wayne

John W. Campbell Award
An award for the best new writer whose first work of science fiction or fantasy appeared during 2006 or 2007 in a professional publication. Sponsored by Dell Magazines.
Joe Abercrombie (2nd year of eligibility)
Jon Armstrong (1st year of eligibility)
David Anthony Durham (1st year of eligibility)
David Louis Edelman (2nd year of eligibility)
Mary Robinette Kowal (2nd year of eligibility)
Scott Lynch (2nd year of eligibility)

I’ve just learned that Arthur C. Clarke has died. He was 90.

Clarke wrote a couple of my favorite SF novels–Rendezvous with Rama, which inspired awe in me, and Childhood’s End, which inspired terror and despair.

When I was at the Writers of the Future Week last August, I remember talking to Charles Brown about Clarke (a friend of his) and the upcoming tribute to him in the pages of LOCUS. Apparently after the recent Heinlein tribute the magazine did (in honour of what would have been the late author’s 100th birthday) Clarke jokingly asked Charles why he had to wait another ten years to get his tribute…so Charles saw to it that LOCUS did a tribute in honour of Clarke’s 90th birthday in December.

He was truly a giant in the field–besides his 100 books Clarke was, after all, the guy who predicted satellites and came up with the idea of their geosynchronous orbit.

He will be missed by many.

– S.

UPDATE (20 March): Just read an interesting appreciation of Clarke and his works in the New York Times. Check it out here.

Okay, one last reminder–

The deadline for nominating for the Prix Aurora Awards, the annual Canadian science fiction and fantasy awards, is THIS MONDAY.

Online ballots must be cast by Monday, March 17, 2008 (three days from today). So while you’re drinking your green beer on St. Paddy’s Day don’t forget to vote.

Any Canadian may nominate, and there is no charge to do so.

The online ballot is here.

A comprehensive list of eligible works is available at the Canadian SF Works Database.

*cough cough*

And you may notice by reading that list that my Writers of the Future Grand Prize-winning story, “Saturn in G Minor”, is eligible for the Aurora in the Best Short-Form Work in English category. If there’s anyone out there who is eligible to vote (ie: a Canadian citizen or permanent resident–and there are 30 million of you out there…) but who hasn’t read the story please e-mail me; I’ll send you an e-copy this weekend for your consideration.

– S.

Hi gang –

Just got the preliminary schedule of this year’s Ad Astra panels (remember: Ad Astra is running here in Toronto March 28-30). Here’s a rundown of the panels I’m on:

Sat 10:00 AM Near Future vs. Far Future Settings
[Glenn Grant (mod), Robert J. Sawyer, Stephen Kotowych, Mike Rimar]
– Panelists will discuss the tradeoffs and the possibilities of each.

Sat 1:00 PM Getting the Most Out of a Writer’s Workshop
[Stephen Kotowych (mod), Suzanne Church, Tony Pi, Douglas Smith]
– How do you get into the major SF writers’ workshops? How can you afford the time and money to go? What can you expect while you’re there? Does attendance grant credibility with editors? How are you and your writing changed when you get back to the “real world?”
– This is a panel Tony and I suggested and it’s my first-ever turn as panel moderator…yikes!

Sat 4:00 PM Goblin War
[Jim C. Hines Book Launch]
– The goblins are going to war. You may have spotted them at registration. Our spies tell us they’ve been working with human sympathizers. Your job is to capture these goblins from their human partners. The humans should be easy to recognize. We’re told they wear their pro-goblin sentiments openly. Rewards will be given to those valiant warriors who bring the most prisoners to the Goblin War launch party at 4:00 on Saturday.
– I’m going to help my buddy Jim out and be one of the human sympathizers…but you didn’t hear that from me… 😉

Sat 5:30 PM Reading
[Stephen Kotowych’s Reading]
– My first-ever reading…yikes! I’ll be reading my Writers of the Future Grand Prize-winning story “Saturn in G Minor”…and hopefully by then we’ll know whether it’s also an Aurora Award nominee *hint hint*…

Sun 10:00 AM Writers of the Future
[Jim C. Hines (mod), Robert J. Sawyer, Mike Rimar, Stephen Kotowych]
– Past winners and judges will discuss this contest.

Also, for those writer-types of you in attendance, I note that from 11am-1pm on Saturday, Guests of Honour Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta will be giving their session “Things I Wish Some Pro Had Told Me When I Was Starting Out”, which is the very same session they gave at this year’s Writers of the Future workshop. The description from the programme reads:

“No-nonsense professional advice on how to build your career as a professional writer, what to do after you have sold your first story or novel, details on contracts, editors, etc. A fee is required for this workshop.”

Now, I can attest that this workshop is worth the extra fee (I don’t know what that fee is, but it’ll be worth it). They give a great presentation, which is especially useful to those starting out, and which is fabulously inspiring. You will leave this session and immediately run to the nearest computer to start writing something–it’s that energizing. Not to me missed, if you can make it!

– S.

Hi all –

Just a friendly reminder that online nominations for the Prix Aurora Awards are due by March 17 (Happy St. Patrick’s Day!) If you haven’t already filled out a ballot you can find the online form here.

For those analog amongst you, the print-it-out-and-snail-mail-it version is here. But remember–even if you care so much about the Auroras that you want actual licking to be involved in nominating that’s fine so long as you ensure your saliva-filled missive is postmarked by 10 March. Otherwise, all the loogies in the world won’t do you any good in nominating this year.

*cough cough* As it happens, I have several stories eligible for this years Auroras. If you would like to nominate me, I’m asking that you please consider nominating my story “Saturn in G Minor”, which won the Writers of the Future Grand Prize in August 2007.

And there are lots of other deserving nominees in the various categories–you can nominate up to three in each subject during the nominating process. The best resource for finding out about Canadian SF works published in 2007 is the aptly named Canadian SF Works Database, a wiki started by Marcel Gagné and Robert J. Sawyer which is coincidentally eligible for an Aurora under the ‘Best Work In English (Other)’ category *hint hint*.

– S.

Every once and a while (far too infrequently, if you ask me) something really sci-fi creeps out into the real world, and the opening of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, tunneled deep into the permafrost of the Norwegian Arctic, is one such example.

Think about it: not only does it LOOK like something one could imagine finding in a sci-fi novel or movie, but it’s stated purpose–to store seeds of key agricultural crops from around the globe so that in the event such crops are lost due to a man-made or natural apocalypse staples like rice, wheat, lentils, etc. can be reestablished–is the kind of grand foresight human beings are often possessed of only in fiction.

Even the building shows foresight: the roof and parts of the frontage of the visible entrance section are filled with triangles of high reflection, acid resistant steel of various sizes. Together with other refractive elements like dichroic mirror glass and prisms, they will throw light back in all directions, providing a dazzling reflection of sunlight and other lights, depending on season and time of day. So even if something happens and we end up back in the Stone Age people might see the building and think, “I wonder what’s in there?”

Very cool.

It kinda reminds me of nuclear waste site markers people like Gregory Benford have been asked to help design so that, should civilization collapse entirely and all knowledge of our atomic legacy be lost, people might somehow be warned that some very nasty and no-good-for-you material is stored here or there and should be avoided.

Somehow, though, I find the Global Seed Vault a lot more hopeful… 🙂

– S.

Hello all –

As you can tell from the countdown widget in the sidebar, there are now only two weeks left to nominate for the John W. Campbell Best New Writer Award shortlist. I’m eligible for the award, given my three publications in 2007.

And don’t forget that the San Francisco Bay Area Science Fiction Association (BASFA) has included me on their list of 2008 Hugo Award Recommendations, under the Campbell Award category.

The John W. Campbell Award is given to the best new science fiction or fantasy writer whose first work was published in a professional publication in the previous two years. For the 2008 award, which is presented at the World Science Fiction Convention (WorldCon), the qualifying work must have been published in 2006 or 2007.

The Campbell Award uses the same nomination and voting mechanism as the Hugo, though the Campbell Award is not a Hugo.

To be able to nominate a writer for the 2008 award, you must have either been an attending member of the 2007 Worldcon in Japan or be a supporting or attending member of the 2008 Worldcon in Denver before Jan. 31, 2008.

Nomination ballots must be received by March 1, 2008. Please see the official nomination ballot on the Denvention 3 website.

Thanks for your consideration!

– S.

No, not me–this.

Scientists at Columbia have not only determined what causes muscle fatigue (it has something to do with calcium flow within muscles, and not lactic acid–which is what I thought, but which was apparently discredited long ago), but they’ve also devised, for mice, an experimental drug that can revive the animals and let them keep running long after they would normally flop down in exhaustion.

Now, this therapy has been designed with treatment of legitimate conditions in mind–in this case, congestive heart failure. But as I’ve spoken of elsewhere, high-performance athletes and their coaches will no doubt turn this therapy (as they’ve done for so many others) to use in trying to cheat in competition.

Something that lets you avoid muscle fatigue? Come on. It’s no wonder the NY Times article included a photo of a marathon runner in the header…

– S.

Wow!

I had three stories published in 2007 and Rich Horton liked them all and has mentioned each in his year-end wrap-up on LiveJournal.

Today, he reviews anthologies from other countries, which in this case means Tesseracts Eleven (from Canada, eh?) and an Aussie antho. He lists my story, “Citius, Altius, Fortius”, as one of the TESS 11 stories that “impressed.”

Cool!

Hopefully I get to meet Mr. Horton sometime–I think I’d like to shake his hand 😉

– S.