Coalescent :: Recent Entries

Title:	And the winner is ...
Topics:	clarke award
Date:	2008-05-01 @ 08:40
Security:	public
Mood:	pleased

(Since I'm sure you're all dying to know...)

The winner of the 2008 Arthur C Clarke Award is Black Man by Richard Morgan. So you should all go and read it.

I have some photos from the party and ceremony up here.

:: +Memory :: Tell a Friend :: 10 replies :: Reply

Title:	Clarke Clarke Clarke
Topics:	clarke award
Date:	2008-04-30 @ 10:15
Security:	public
Mood:	excited

This is it. Today is the last day of my duties as an Arthur C Clarke Award judge. Once I've posted this, I'll head off to London to sit down with the other judges and decide this year's winner. And then that will be that!

As a reminder, that shortlist in full:

The Red Men by Matthew de Abaitua
The H-Bomb Girl by Stephen Baxter
The Carhullan Army by Sarah Hall
The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall
The Execution Channel by Ken MacLeod
Black Man by Richard Morgan

I've been collecting reviews of all the books, and other relevant links, here, but I'd particuarly direct your attention to:

Abigail Nussbaum's shortlist review at Strange Horizons (sh_reviews)

Adam Roberts' shortlist review at Futurismic

Nic's reviews at eves_alexandria: The H-Bomb Girl, The Red Men, The Carhullan Army, The Execution Channel, and Black Man

Lisa Tuttle's write-up in The Times

Liz's poll about who should and will win

Go, read, argue, enjoy!

(Alternatively, look what the postman delivered to Nic this morning. I fully expect there to be more comments about that than about the Clarke.)

:: +Memory :: Tell a Friend :: 7 replies :: Reply

Title:	Doctor Who and the Romans
Date:	2008-04-12 @ 19:37
Security:	public

( not really a spoiler for the episode, but... )

:: +Memory :: Tell a Friend :: 22 replies :: Reply

Title:	Brief Wondrous Poll
Date:	2008-04-11 @ 22:04
Security:	public

Poll #1169715
Open to: All, results viewable to: All

Which is correct?

View Answers

I am American, and have heard of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz, and know the sf reason for this poll
12 (12.9%)

I am American, and have heard of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz, but do not know the sf reason for this poll
4 (4.3%)

I am American, and have not heard of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
11 (11.8%)

I am British, and have heard of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz, and know the sf reason for this poll
11 (11.8%)

I am British, and have heard of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz, but do not know the sf reason for this poll
2 (2.2%)

I am British, and have not heard of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
43 (46.2%)

I am from some other country, and have heard of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz, and know the sf reason for this poll
2 (2.2%)

I am from some other country, and have heard of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz, but do not know the sf reason for this poll
1 (1.1%)

I am from some other country, and have not heard of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
7 (7.5%)

Inspiration here; I suspect I'm being atypical again.

In other news: British people! ITV are showing the first episode of Pushing Daises tomorrow evening at 9pm. (At least, according to Front Row they are; I haven't checked an actual schedule.) You should watch this. It is much better than Doctor Who, I promise.

:: +Memory :: Tell a Friend :: 19 replies :: Reply

Title:	Doctor Who
Date:	2008-04-05 @ 20:13
Security:	public

( inevitable comments )

:: +Memory :: Tell a Friend :: 11 replies :: Reply

Title:	Further Adventures in Publicity
Date:	2008-02-14 @ 08:30
Security:	public

Different bit of publicity material, but the same book as last time, with an exciting new way to mis-spell the title, and:

"Good female SF writers are hard to find -- this is sure to be included on many SF awards shortlists"

:: +Memory :: Tell a Friend :: 28 replies :: Reply

Title:	Proof Copy of the Day
Date:	2008-02-09 @ 10:07
Security:	public

Item one: the difference in spelling between the front cover and spine.

Item two: "Female SF writers are a rarity; good ones even scarcer!"

If anyone wants to play guess-the-publisher before clicking through to the photos, feel free. That said, I'm still looking forward to reading it.

:: +Memory :: Tell a Friend :: 37 replies :: Reply

Title:	Ashes to Ashes
Date:	2008-02-07 @ 22:07
Security:	public

On balance, I think they made it work. The end credits were a nice touch.

( spoilers )

In other news, I've seen last week's Torchwood ("To the Last Man"). It's really not getting any better, is it?

:: +Memory :: Tell a Friend :: 28 replies :: Reply

Title:	A Torchwood poll
Date:	2008-01-26 @ 18:44
Security:	public

Inspired by:

Sarah Jane Adventures better than Torchwood? I'm a big fan of Torchwood's first season and I'm liking the second large. The ep of the Sarah Jane Adventures that I've seen was cool but not great so it's hard for me to judge relative merits. But, as The Evening Herald opined yesterday, I can't help but wondering if some of the "Torchwood is crap" sentiment springs from resistance to a show which is headlined by an openly gay man who is not camp and a career woman who is not girly.

Poll #1127773
Open to: All, results viewable to: All

Torchwood (first season)

View Answers

GOOD!
6 (11.8%)

BAD!
45 (88.2%)

Torchwood (second season so far)

View Answers

GOOD!
22 (48.9%)

BAD!
23 (51.1%)

The Sarah-Jane Adventures

View Answers

GOOD!
24 (61.5%)

BAD!
15 (38.5%)

Captain Jack is "an openly gay man who is not camp"

View Answers

True
27 (54.0%)

False
23 (46.0%)

Gwen is "a career woman who is not girly"

View Answers

True
20 (40.8%)

False
29 (59.2%)

"I can't help but wondering if some of the "Torchwood is crap" sentiment springs from resistance to a show which is headlined by an openly gay man who is not camp and a career woman who is not girly."

View Answers

Yes
4 (7.8%)

No
47 (92.2%)

Which do you think is the more significant factor behind the reception the show got

View Answers

The fact that it is transgressive (of attitudes to sex, of the tradition of Doctor Who, whatever)
2 (4.1%)

The quality of the writing/production
47 (95.9%)

The implication that there is hidden homophobia/sexism behind at least some criticism of Torchwood is ...

View Answers

A bit insulting, to be honest
31 (62.0%)

Probably true
11 (22.0%)

Unverifiable and therefore not helpful
20 (40.0%)

Something worth raising
7 (14.0%)

Something else
5 (10.0%)

:: +Memory :: Tell a Friend :: 15 replies :: Reply

Title:	Have you read ...?
Date:	2007-09-10 @ 16:24
Security:	public

Further to this discussion, some polls at

instant_fanzine asking which authors people have read: please answer this one, this one and this one if you're a man; and please answer this one and this one if you're a woman.

EDIT: All, and indeed sundry, should feel free to pimp these links far and wide.

:: +Memory :: Tell a Friend :: 28 replies :: Reply