Left to right front row: Geoff Ryman,
Roger Robinson
back row: Niall Harrison, Jetse de Vries, Steve Lawson;
2005 AWARDS
Presented by Farah Mendlesohn due to the unfortunate indisposition of John Jarrold, the original MC.
Best novel
· 9Tail Fox – Jon Courtenay
Grimwood (Gollancz)
· Accelerando – Charles Stross
(Orbit)
· Air – Geoff Ryman
(Gollancz)
· Learning the World – Ken MacLeod
(Orbit)
· Living Next Door to
the God of Love – Justina Robson (Macmillan)
Winner: Air
- Geoff Ryman. Award presented by M. John Harrison.
Geoff talked
about the long time from the first draft in 1996 and thanked Jo Fletcher for
making it such a beautiful edition.
Best short fiction
Farah
mentioned that there would normally have been five nominations but that due to
a complex tie in the nomination process, eight stories made it to the final
vote.
· ‘Bears Discover Smut’
– Michael Bishop (SciFiction, 26 October)
· ‘Bird Songs at
Eventide’ – Nina Allan (Interzone #199)
· ‘Guadalupe and
Hieronymus Bosch’ – Rudy Rucker (Interzone #200)
· ‘I, Robot’ – Cory
Doctorow (Infinite Matrix, 15 February)
· ‘Imagine’ – Edward
Morris (Interzone #200)
· ‘Magic for Beginners’
– Kelly Link (F&SF, September – also collected in Magic for
Beginners, Small Beer Press)
· ‘Soft Apocalypse’ –
Will McIntosh (Interzone #200)
· ‘Two Dreams on
Trains’ – Elizabeth Bear (Strange Horizons, 3 January)
Winner: Magic
for Beginners - Kelly Link.
Award
presented by Stephen Baxter.
Accepted by
Niall Harrison who, on Kelly’s instructions, offered to buy everyone a pint
(the pint will be available later, bring your own straw!)
Best artwork
· Cover of Brass Man
(novel by Neal Asher, published by Tor UK) – Steve Rawlings
· Cover of Elantris
(novel by Brandon Sanderson, published by Tor) – Stephan Martinière
· Cover of F&SF,
January 2005 – Max Bertolini
· Cover of Interzone
#198 – Kenn Brown
· Cover of Interzone
#200 – Pawel Lewandowski
· 'Run!' (We3:
chapter 2, pp2-3, published by Titan Books) – Frank Quitely (with Jamie Grant
and Grant Morrison)
Winner: Cover of Interzone #200 – Pawel Lewandowski.
Award
presented by Anne Sudworth
and
collected by Jetse de Vries, representing the Interzone editorial team, on
Pawel’s behalf. Anne had trouble opening the envelope and Farah joked that they
couldn’t provide a knife to help because it was against the convention weapons
policy!
Non-fiction award
This award was decided
upon by a panel of judges for the best non-fiction writing (book, article,
webpage etc.) dealing with Science Fiction and/or Fantasy. The judges were
Niall Harrison, Steve Jeffrey and Geneva Melzack.
The award was presented
by John Clute to:
Soundings:
Reviews 1992-1996 by Gary K. Wolfe (Beccon Publications)
Roger Robinson (who is
Beccon Publications) accepted the award, saying how pleased he was to accept it
on Gary’s behalf. He added that Beccon was chosen because it was known as a
small press that could be counted on to produce the book quickly and well. Roger
also mentioned that it was a nice coincidence that the book was originally
conceived during a conversation between Gary and John Clute and was launched at
a BSFA meeting.
A longer list of
recommended non-fiction reading will be made available by the BSFA (or may
appear on the con newsletter website if we have time to type it in!)
Richard Evans award
Richard Evans was a much
loved and respected editorial director at Gollancz who died, tragically young,
ten years ago. In his memory, his friends and colleagues established an award
to be given each year to a “highly worthy but insufficiently recognized
author”. This year the Richard Evans award is presented to Pat Cadigan. She was
unable to attend but will be receiving the award, which is presented in a form
dear to the heart of all authors, a cheque for £1,500.
Doc Weir Award
The Doc Weir Award is
given to those “unsung” heroes of fandom who make a difference. The award
started in 1963, and has been presented nearly every year since. This is the 40th
award and it goes to Steve Lawson.
In the absence of the
2005 Doc Weir winner, Dave Lally (at the Eurocon), the award was presented by
Mark Plummer
(who won it in 1996).
Around 15 previous winners of the Doc Weir award are attending Concussion (though
only about four were in the room, as the rest were either busy working on the
convention, out for a meal or in the bar!).
The Philip K. Dick Awards
These are for distinguished science fiction books published for the first time in the United States as paperback originals.
2005 Philip K. Dick Award Nominees
Cowl by Neal Asher (Tor Books)
War Surf by M. M. Buckner (Ace Books)
Cagebird by Karin Lowachee (Warner Aspect)
Natural History by Justina Robson (Bantam Spectra)
Silver Screen by Justina Robson (Pyr)
To Crush The Moon by Wil McCarthy (Bantam Spectra)
“The winner of this year's Philip K. Dick Award, for best original paperback published in the US in 2005, is M.M. Buckner's War Surf (Ace Books), with a special citation given to Justina Robson for Natural History (Bantam Spectra). Results were announced this evening at Norwescon in SeaTac, Washington.” Results courtesy of Locus Magazine (www.locusmag.com)
Buckner’s other two SF novels are:
Hyperthought (2003, PKD nominated) and Neurolink (2004).
The Eastercon Forum
Sunday 12:00 is a space to discuss the burning issues facing Eastercons. There will be representatives from past and future Eastercons, but it’s mostly an audience participation thang. This means you!!!
Doctor Who: A Checkup
'Hmnnn... New teeth, that's weird!'
And, so, this is the 10th Doctor's first story and It's About Change.
Now, in some senses, this is his third Adventure, after the 'teaser' mini-episode
and the proudly 'Christmas' Turkey Leftovers from Outer Space, but they (For
all their quality and Canonical Validity), acted as 'fingerfood' to whet our
appetites for this second season, in much the same way some Very Old people
remember the Second Dr's adventures after he'd been tried by the Time
Lords, and before he was abducted by Scarecrows (TV Comic)
So: The Dr changes and, as he's
mentioned before 'All life depends on change', the Homo Sapiens, Felix
Domesticus, and the Earth itself. To hang onto the past is to become Ossified,
sterile and... well, like a piece of skin stretched on a frame, cattily voiced
by Zoe Wannamaker. Death is a part of Life, for planets and villains (But not
the Dr or Rose).
Did you see what they did there? Accept change or you're not merely a
Sad Fan, but actively opposing the Doctor Himself.
Regeneration stories traditionally have a 'Continuity/ Change' theme.
Cybernetic Zombies: New Dr: Old Daleks. Sods he ran away from in the first
place: New Dr: New UNIT. Old Mentor: New Dr: UNIT family. Universe and the
Tardis wearing out: New Dr: Recursion. . Dying companion and Dr: New Dr:
Godawful Slugbirth. Whogivesashit: New Dr: Whogivesashit and so on... This one
did it better.
For the first time in Dr Who TNG, we actually see another planet (Though
it might just as well be just 'The Future') and the 'Hospital' theme gives a
fine excuse for 'Dr' jokes and thrilling Cat Nurse-Nuns. The return of an Old
Enemy (Continuity y'see, and plausible too!) and the morbid body-horror of
clinging to the Old Flesh is saved by the New Flesh of the Dr.
Unquestionably, Mr
Tennant is as instantly likeable as any of the Dr's and wears his
all-too-contemporary clothes with dash. The No Sex Please We're Gallifreyans
rules are now stretched to a point where they may be safely termed 'Outdated
canon'.
He spent the previous season effectively nicking someone else's bird
because of his flash transport and snogging her on the dodgy premise that it
'transfers energy from the Tardis' (A thing he never seemed necessary with,
say, his Other Selves). This season, he's acceptably dishy, whilst he and Rose
spend every third sentence telling each other how much they love... something,
whilst looking lovingly at each other.
In any reasonable sense, they've Scored and their relationship is now
more like that of Steed and Emma or Mulder and Scully who 'fancy each other
like mad and might be shagging each other rotten but we've never seen
them do it'. Unlike Steed and Emma, our Transtemporal lovers have RT Davies
Plot devices that allow them to snog 'without it meaning anything' (Again) and
a commentary of just how much they fancy each other, along with a solid gold
plot opportunity for our Dr to camp it up in a way Pertwee was never offered.
A ripping good story with weird creatures aplenty, hugely sympathetic
zombies, wizzo tek, witty lines (Personal fave: 'God, I'm a Chav') and a cool
'ooooo!' inversion of the 'Ark In
Space' Bio-Cryogenic Units. All this with truly 'Doctorish' values of the
Sanctity of Life, a Magic Plothole and a truly original and emotionally
affecting time travel twist at the end (Though requiring Damascenely improbable
character development) wherein Change is Accepted.
Little wonder that the following 'Trip of a Lifetime' game show on BBC1
began with the sort of 'Tardis' joke so loved by Family Entertainment programs
of the 1970's...
Change, but strangely familiar.
SMS
