On Friday, June 19, 2009, the first ever David Gemmell Legend Prize ( a fan voted award for fantasy novels and works) was awarded to Polish author Andrzej Sapowski for his novel, Blood of the Elves..


With a reported voter base of over 10,000 readers, the Gemmell Prize was established to recognize works written in the spirit of the late British author, whose 1984 novel Legend has never gone out of print.


An initial pool of 87 nominees from worldwide publishing houses was narrowed to a short list of 5 finalists in early April.


For his inaugural win, Sapkowski receives a replica battle axe, a depiction of the weapon “Snaga” featured in Gemmell's books. The runners-up (Joe Abercrombie The Last Argument of Kings (Pyr, Gollancz), Juliet Marillier The Heir to Seven Waters (TOR UK), Brandon Sanderson The Hero of Ages (TOR), Brent Weeks The Way of Shadows (Orbit)) also receive a miniature version of the prize.


Deborah J. Miller (award administrator and fantasy author) was pleased with the outcome of the event. "Our winning author is already a huge star in Europe and winning the award will hopefully ensure new readers experience his work in the excellent English translation from Gollancz. Genre fantasy is often dismissed as being simply gung-ho or macho, as people outside genre circles tend to imagine it's all about epic battles, weapons and warriors – in fact, it is all of those things and so much more. Contemporary fantasy fiction is about far more than escape to other realities. Freed of the constraints and preconceptions of other kinds of fiction, it holds up a mirror to reflect on this world and time through the prism of vivid characters and enthralling drama that engage the imagination like no other genre."

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UK fantasy and SF author Graham Edwards, best known for his epic Dragoncharm saga, has entered the blogosphere. His new SF&F blog – called, unsurprisingly, Graham Edwards Blog – is a personal pot-pourri of commentary, review, trivia, nostalgia and the occasional bit of shameless self-promotion.

Says Edwards: "If you're a fan of genre fiction, science and speculation in all its forms, this is the blog for you. As to the content, well, it's a kind of conservation scheme really. I'm releasing into the wild all the stuff in my head I can't find a place for in my fictional output."

Will Graham Edwards's "stuff" learn to hunt for itself and survive in the big blog-eat-blog world? Visit grahamedwards.blogspot.com and monitor its progress for yourself.

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from sliceofscifi.com

Suvudu (an online imprint of Random House) is now offering free e-book downloads of the first volume of popular fantasy and sci-fi novel series (such as Red Mars, shown left)

The downloads are compatible with most e-book readers, including Amazon's Kindle and the Stanza iPhone reader.













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Locus Magazine has announced the finalists for the 2009 Locus Awards, with the winners to be announced this summer at the Science Fiction Awards Weekend.

The awards, (given annually since 1971), are chosen by reader poll, and are unique in that the publisher of the work is also honored.

A full list of finalists (as well as links to individual titles) is available on the Locus web site.










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The 2009 Nebula Awards ceremony was held Saturday, April 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, CA. Live coverage of the event was carried byScience Fiction Awards Watch, aided by regular Twitter updates (@sfwa).

The 2009 Honorees (including categories announced and awarded before the ceremony) are:

Best Novel: Powers - Ursula K. Le Guin (published by Harcourt, Sep 2007)

Best Novella: “The Spacetime Pool” - Catherine Asaro (Analog, Mar 2008)

Best Novelette: “Pride and Prometheus” - John Kessel (F&SF, Jan 2008)

Best Short Story: “Trophy Wives” - Nina Kiriki Hoffman (Fellowship Fantastic, ed. Greenberg and Hughes, Daw Jan 2008)

Best Script: “WALL-E” Screenplay - Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon. Original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter (Walt Disney June 2008)

Andre Norton Award (presented for Best Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy work): Flora’s Dare: How a Girl of Spirit Gambles All to Expand Her Vocabulary, Confront a Bouncing Boy Terror, and Try to Save Califa from a Shaky Doom (Despite Being Confined to Her Room) - Ysabeau S. Wilce (Harcourt, Sep 2008)

Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award (for lifetime achievement): Harry Harrison

Bradbury Award (for excellence in screenwriting): Joss Whedon

Solstice Award (for significance to the Science Fiction Field): A.J. Budrys, Kate Wilhelm, Martin H. Greenberg

Author Emerita (honoring a senior writer in the field): M.J. Engh

SFWA Service Award: Victoria Strauss

A full list of 2008 nominees and nominated works can be found here.


The Nebula Awards® are annual awards presented by SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY WRITERS OF AMERICA to celebrate excellence in science fiction and fantasy writing.

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This morning, U.K online newspaper The Guardian published what is believed to be the last story ever written by J.G. Ballard, as part of their continuing remembrance of the seminal science fiction author.

On Friday, the Guardian also reported that Publisher Harper Collins has canceled their plans to release Ballard's final, unfinished book this fall.

The Dying Fall can be read online at the Guardian's dedicated page.

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scifiwire has broken down upcoming sci-fi television offerings by network, and given its "best guess" as to the survivability of each.

ABC, CBS, NBC

CW, FOX

In related news, NBC has reduced its episode commitment for Heroes, and despite premature rumors of its demise, Joss Whedon and Eliza Dushku speak regarding the chances for a second season of Dollhouse.

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from the Telegraph

Astronomers testing a giant dust cloud at the heart of the Milky Way have found that it might taste of raspberries, according to reports.

Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn, were searching space for evidence of amino acids: the basic chemicals from which life is created.

They told the Guardian newspaper that, despite failing to locate any such aminos, they did find a substance called ethyl formate, the chemical responsible for the flavor of raspberries.

The astronomers used the IRAM telescope in Spain to analyse electromagnetic radiation emitted by a hot and dense region of Sagittarius B2 that surrounds a newborn star, the paper reported.

Radiation from the star is absorbed by molecules floating around in the gas cloud, which is then re-emitted at different energies depending on the type of molecule.

While scouring their data, the team found ethyl formate as well as evidence for the deadly chemical propyl cyanide in the same cloud. The two molecules are the largest yet discovered in deep space.

Astronomer Arnaud Belloche said: "It [ethyl formate] does happen to give raspberries their flavor, but there are many other molecules that are needed to make space raspberries."

(more)

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from BBC News

A molecule that until now existed only in theory has finally been made.

Known as a Rydberg molecule, it is formed through an elusive and extremely weak chemical bond between two atoms.

The new type of bonding, reported in Nature, occurs because one of the two atoms in the molecule has an electron very far from its nucleus or center.

It reinforces fundamental quantum theories, developed by Nobel prize-winning physicist Enrico Fermi, about how electrons behave and interact.

The Rydberg molecules in question were formed from two atoms of rubidium - one a Rydberg atom, and one a "normal" atom. The movement and position of electrons within an atom can be described as orbiting around a central nucleus - with each shell of orbiting electrons further from the center.

(more)

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Mary Robinette Kowal (2008 recipient of the Campbell Award for Best New Writer) has completed interviews with the 2009 Campbell Award nominees on her site. Please take a moment to read them, and discover the next new stars in the Science Fiction universe.

Aliette de Bodard

David Anthony Durham

Felix Gilman

Tony Pi

Gord Sellar


The Campbell Award winner will be announced at the the 67th World Science Fiction Convention, to be held Thursday 6 August - Monday 10 August, 2009 in Montréal, Québec.












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On April 21, 2009, the Science Fiction community said goodbye to a dear and respected friend, Ken Rand (1946-2009), following a prolonged illness.

A journalist turned Award-winning Author, Rand's pen was a prolific one, signing his name to over a hundred short stories, a dozen books, and too many columns, articles and interviews to list, though many of his friends and admirers count the number at,"not enough."

His books regarding the craft of writing are regarded as some of the finest in the field, and his "Port Chicago" series detail the true-life (and death) story of a small town that was simply "in the way."

Whether it was his engaging smile, subtle wit or open and welcoming heart, Rand shared a bit of himself with everyone he met, asking nothing in return.

He will be missed.

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On April 19, 2009, the world said goodbye to one of its more influential and understated individuals, James Graham Ballard (15 November 1930 — 19 April 2009)

Ballard was a strong voice in the "New Wave" of Science Fiction authors, but his work touched many aspects of 20th century life, including popular music, film and television.

Ballard's early life was fictionalized in his semi-autobiography Empire of the Sun (later brought to the screen by noted director Steven Speilberg in a 1987 film of the same name)

Like the late John W. Campbell before him, Ballard's very name became a defining characteristic of science fiction, invoking themes of dystopian modernity, the follies of too-rapid advancement, and the toll such changes can wreak upon the individual.

He will be missed.

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The 2009 Hugo and Campbell Award ballots have just been published on the Hugo Awards site.

Here's a peek:


Hugo for Best Novel
(639 Ballots)

* Anathem by Neal Stephenson (Morrow; Atlantic UK)
* The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (HarperCollins; Bloomsbury)
* Little Brother by Cory Doctorow (Tor)
* Saturn’s Children by Charles Stross (Ace; Orbit)
* Zoe’s Tale by John Scalzi (Tor)


The John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer
(288 Ballots)

Aliette de Bodard*
David Anthony Durham*
Felix Gilman
Tony Pi*
Gord Sellar*

*(Second year of eligibility)


See the full ballot at the Hugo Awards site.

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The short list for the 2009 Arthur C. Clarke award has been announced:


* Song of Time, Ian R. MacLeod (PS Publishing)
* The Quiet War, Paul McAuley (Gollancz)
* House of Suns, Alastair Reynolds (Gollancz)
* Anathem, Neal Stephenson (Atlantic)
* The Margarets, Sheri S. Tepper (Gollancz)
* Martin Martin's on the Other Side, Mark Wernham (Jonathan Cape)






Thanks, as always, to ScienceFictionAwardsWatch.com for the tip.

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Author Joe Hill wants you to shop at your local independent bookstore. As an incentive, he's having a contest:

From JoeHillFiction.com:

How to Play: Go to a local independent bookstore. Buy something. Save the receipt. Send a photo or scan of the receipt to this address: indie@joehillfiction.com. Make sure either your e-mail or your receipt includes the name and phone number of the bookstore in question.

Prize: At the end of March I'll have a random drawing, and send the winner a signed slipcased copy of GUNPOWDER.

BUT WAIT! There's more. As this thing goes along, I'll be adding other signed editions of other books for other randomly drawn winners. Stay tuned.

And remember, even if you lose you win, because you will have supported a small bookstore, and come away with something worth reading.

---
Read the details and full contest rules on Joe's site.

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From Slice of SciFi:

In the past few years, fans of Philip K. Dick have had a few treats show up in bookstores–some newly discovered completed works by the author. While not on the same level as his classic novel, "The Man in the High Castle" or the late author’s short stories, the novels are still a fascinating insight into the evolution of this influential science-fiction writer.

Now that fans have had a look back at the early works of Dick, they will soon get a look at the last novel Dick was working on before his death in 1982. The author’s wife, Tessa Dick, announced last month that she has completed work on the novel Dick was working on when he passed away. Called “The Owl In Daylight,” novel was to tell the story of a computer designer who ended up trapped inside a virtual reality of his own making.

"I hope that I have captured the spirit of 'The Owl' as Phil would have written it, if his life had not been cut short by a massive stroke," Tessa Dick said in an interview with Self-Publishing Review.

Read the full story.

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From SFScope.com:

By Ian Randal Strock March 10, 2009

Tir Na Nog Press just purchased Realms of Fantasy from Sovereign Media, and already has a brief web site available at realmsoffantasymag.com (they're planning to have a much more elaborate web site soon). Publisher Warren Lapine feels it's much more important to get things running quickly--since the deal just happened--rather than spend more time behind the scenes.

Lapine said, "This is a win-win for everyone. I think Sovereign Media is really happy to be able to leave the magazine to the field, and I'm really happy to keep such an important magazine publishing."

He continued, "I could see the field was saddened by its passing, and when I called to make a pitch, Sovereign was happy because they didn't want to close the magazine. They really like it, but it wasn't turning a large enough profit for them. Nevertheless, they're very happy the magazine will continue publishing."

Lapine is not anticipating any changes that will be visible to the public. Realms will continue paying authors the same rates, on acceptance, and leave the editors in place. He hopes to have his first issue out in May. "Our plan is to miss only one issue. The next on the schedule would have been 15 March, and for obvious reasons, that's not going to happen."

There is already an inventory of stories that are being transferred in the deal, so filling the next issue won't be a rush job.

Editor Shawna McCarthy told SFScope, "I'm thrilled and delighted and looking forward to working with Warren. It's a ray of good news in an otherwise gloomy world. I'm really very happy with the deal." She's not sure if they'll be able to get the May issue out; a lot will depend on what's in inventory and has artwork, because it's a pretty short deadline, but she said "we'll see; we'll do our best."

Read the full story.

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By Marcia Dunn, Associated Press

March 9, 2009 -- Two science teachers who have spent the past five years under NASA's tutelage are about to graduate with high-flying honors.

The space shuttle flight Wednesday night of Joseph Acaba and Richard Arnold II will mark the first time two former teachers have rocketed into space together. And during the two-week construction mission to the International Space Station, both will attempt multiple spacewalks -- the most dangerous job in orbit.

Acaba was a freshman at the University of California at Santa Barbara when McAuliffe died on Jan. 28, 1986. Arnold was fresh out of college and living in Washington, and his wife-to-be was a student-teacher.

"It definitely had an impact when you look at the sacrifices that she (McAuliffe) made and the importance that NASA put on it," Acaba said.

Read the full story.

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By MARCIA DUNN
AP Aerospace Writer

CAPE CANAVERAL — NASA’s planet-hunting spacecraft, Kepler, rocketed into space Friday night on a historic voyage to track down other Earths in a faraway patch of the Milky Way galaxy.

It’s the first mission capable of answering the age-old question: Are other worlds like ours out there?

Read more at the Orlando Sentinel.

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An experiment in programmed emotion has yielded Kenji, a robot so amorous it recently held an intern captive in its laboratory enclosure.

"Initially, we were thrilled to see a bit of our soul come alive in this so called 'machine,'" said Dr. Akito Takahashi, the principal investigator on the project. "This was really the final step for us in one of the fundamentals of the singularity."

The robot first found love with a stuffed doll, which it hugged for hours at a time, but soon it transferred its affections to humans...all of them. One intern discovered just how much Kenji loved her when he refused to let her leave the lab one evening and commenced hugging her repeatedly. The young woman had to be rescued by two staff members who answered her frantic phone call and flipped Kenji's off switch.

"Despite our initial enthusiasm, it has become clear that Kenji’s impulses and behavior are not entirely rational or genuine," conceded Dr. Takahashi.

Read the full story.

Special thanks to Cheryl Morgan for the tip (and the headline)!

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