Robinson, Sterling, Bujold head 1997 Hugo nominees
oneStarCon2, the 1997 World Science Fiction Convention, announced the 1997 Hugo nominees for outstanding achievement in the science fiction field. The Hugos are nominated by members of the current World Science Fiction Convention. LoneStarCon2 received a total of 429 valid ballots (ballots cast for each category are noted).
Best Novel (356 ballots)
- Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson (HarperCollins Voyager; Bantam Spectra)
- Holy Fire by Bruce Sterling (Orion; Bantam Spectra)
- Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold (Baen)
- Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon (Baen)
- Starplex by Robert J. Sawyer (Ace; Analog 7-10/96)
Best Novella (209 ballots)
- "Abandon in Place" by Jerry Oltion (F&SF 12/96)
- "Blood of The Dragon" by George R. R. Martin (Asimov's 7/96)
- "The Cost to Be Wise" by Maureen F. McHugh (Starlight 1)
- "Gas Fish" by Mary Rosenblum (Asimov's 2/96)
- "Immersion" by Gregory Benford (SF Age 3/96)
- "Time Travelers Never Die" by Jack McDevitt (Asimov's 5/96)
(There are six nominees due to a tie vote.)
Best Novelette (221 ballots)
- "Age of Aquarius" by William Barton (Asimov's 5/96)
- "Beauty and the OpEra or the Phantom Beast" by Suzy McKee Charnas (Asimov's 3/96)
- "Bicycle Repairman" by Bruce Sterling (Intersections; Asimov's 10/96)
- "The Land of Nod" by Mike Resnick (Asimov's 6/96)
- "Mountain Ways" by Ursula K. Le Guin (Asimov's 8/96)
Best Short Story (254 ballots)
- "The Dead" by Michael Swanwick (Starlight 1)
- "Decency" by Robert Reed (Asimov's 6/96)
- "Gone" by John Crowley (F&SF 9/96)
- "The Soul Selects Her Own Society . . ." by Connie Willis (Asimov's 4/96; War of the Worlds: Global Dispatches)
- "Un-Birthday Boy" by James White (Analog 2/96)
Best Non-Fiction Book (163 ballots)
- The Faces of Fantasy by Patti Perret (Tor)
- Look at the Evidence by John Clute (Serconia Press)
- The Silence of the Langford by Dave Langford (NESFA Press)
- Time & Chance by L. Sprague de Camp (Grant)
- The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones (Gollancz/Vista)
Best Dramatic Presentation (283 ballots)
- Independence Day
- Mars Attacks!
- Babylon 5 "Severed Dreams"
- Star Trek: First Contact
- Star Trek: Deep Space Nine "Trials and Tribble-ations"
(Babylon 5 "War without End" and "Z'Ha'Dum" were nominated but J. Michael Straczynski declined.)
Best Editor (248 ballots)
- Gardner Dozois (Asimov's)
- Scott Edelman (SF Age)
- Patrick Nielsen Hayden (Tor Books)
- Kristine Kathryn Rusch (F&SF)
- Stanley Schmidt (Analog)
Best Professional Artist (226 ballots)
- Thomas Canty
- David Cherry
- Bob Eggleton
- Don Maitz
- Michael Whelan
Best Semiprozine (223 ballots)
- Interzone edited by David Pringle
- Locus edited by Charles N. Brown
- The New York Review of Science Fiction edited by Kathryn Cramer, Tad Dembinski, Ariel Hameon, David G. Hartwell and Kevin Maroney
- Science Fiction Chronicle edited by Andrew I. Porter
- Speculations edited by Kent Brewster
Best Fanzine (224 ballots)
- Ansible edited by Dave Langford
- File 770 edited by Mike Glyer
- Mimosa edited by Dick & Nicki Lynch
- Nova Express edited by Lawrence Person
- Tangent edited by Dave Truesdale
Best Fan Writer (202 ballots)
- Sharon Farber
- Mike Glyer
- Andy Hooper
- Dave Langford
- Evelyn C. Leeper
Best Fan Artist (177 ballots)
- Ian Gunn
- Joe Mayhew
- Peggy Ranson
- William Rotsler
- Sherlock
(Brad Foster and Teddy Harvia declined their nominations.)
John W. Campbell Award (156 ballots)
(Award for the best new science fiction writer of 1995 or 1996, sponsored by Dell Magazines)
- Michael A. Burstein (second year of eligiblity)
- Raphael Carter (first year of eligiblity)
- Richard Garfinkle (first year of eligiblity)
- Katya Reimann (first year of eligiblity)
- Sharon Shinn (second year of eligiblity)
Hugo Nominees available on the Web
or Books has posted the full texts of three pieces of short fiction nominated for the highly coveted Hugo Award.
The works, which may be read on the Tor Books Web site, are: "The Cost To Be Wise" by Maureen F. McHugh, from Starlight 1 (nominated for Best Novella); "Bicycle Repairman" by Bruce Sterling, from Intersections (nominated for Best Novelette), and "The Dead" by Michael Swanwick, from Starlight 1 (nominated for Best Short Story).
-- P.L.
Legendary SF fan Sam Moskowitz dead at 76
am Moskowitz, an authority on science fiction and author or editor of 62 books, died April 15 of a heart attack. He was 76.
Moskowitz, a native of New Jersey, began his professional life driving a produce truck in the 1930s and ended it in 1985 editing a trade publication known as Quick Frozen Foods, the New York Times reported. But his main interest in life from the age of 12 was science fiction.
Moskowitz taught the first academic course on science fiction, at City College in New York, in 1953; collected every science-fiction magazine or book he could get his hands on; published his own "fanzines;" contributed to others; and in 1939 helped organize the first World Science Fiction Convention. In 1987, he was inducted into the New Jersey Literary Hall of Fame.
Of Moskowitz, the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction says: "Sam Moskowitz did more original research in this field than any other scholar of his period and few since; no later history of SF has not made use of Sam Moskowitz's painstaking work, especially his research into the early history of SF in periodical publications."
In addition to his wife, Moskowitz is survived by two sisters and three brothers.
-- Patrick Lee, U.S. Correspondent
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine stars to wed
n a chat on the Star Trek: Continuum Web site last month, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine star Alexander Siddig (Dr. Julian Bashir) let slip that he will marry co-star Nana Visitor (Major Kira Nerys) this summer.
The couple already have a son, Django El Bahir El Siddig, who was born September 16, 1996. Asked what he thought about fatherhood, Siddig replied that he "loved fatherhood. Something new happens every day."
He added: "We'll have to try and hide Django in a suitcase or something on the day we get married this summer."
-- P.L.
Jennifer Lien to abandon Star Trek: Voyager?
umors are floating around the Delta Quadrant (otherwise known as that portion of cyberspace inhabited by Trekkers) that Jennifer Lien, the actress who plays Kes on Star Trek: Voyager, may be leaving the UPN network's flagship show.
Publicists at Paramount Television wouldn't comment on the rumors, but John Ordover -- senior editor of the Star Trek book series at Pocket Books/Simon & Schuster -- recently responded to rumors on the Internet by saying:
"No one was fired. Lien leaving the show is a mutual decision between her and the studio. Jeri Taylor and the writing staff are sorry to see Kes go, and are trying to come up with a great send off that will leave the possibility of guest appearances open."
-- P.L.
Battleground Earth renamed
he title of the much-anticipated new SF TV series from late Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry has been changed from Battleground Earth because of its similarity to the Church of Scientology's proposed film project, Battlefield Earth, Daily Variety reported.
The syndicated series' new name is Gene Roddenberry's Earth: Final Conflict, according to Tribune Entertainment. The series, starring Kevin Kilner (Home Alone 3), is about a group of aliens who arrive on Earth. It is set for a fall debut.
-- P.L.
Babylon 5 official newsletter mum on season 5
or fans of Babylon 5, no news is good news. Rumors about the SF epic's demise in its fifth (and presumably climactic) TV season next year have floated about the Internet from time to time. Now, the "official newsletter" of the Warner Brothers-produced show says: Don't believe everything you hear.
"Judging from the amount of e-mail received, the topic of the fifth season is as rampant as ever," the latest edition of the e-mail newsletter Jumpgate reads. "Last year, the official decision on a new season did not arrive until mid June. The same should be expected for this year. Please remember that any notice of B5's cancellation or renewal should be met with extreme scrutiny until that time." In other words, stay tuned.
Meanwhile, another B5 newsletter, The Zocalo, reports that GNP Crescendo Records is set to release a CD single featuring a space rock version of the B5 theme on May 12 by Neil Norman and His Cosmic Orchestra. An album, Science Fiction's Greatest Hits, Volume 4, follows, and includes a rock-bolero version (whatever that is) of the Star Wars theme and a space station mix (whatever that is) of the theme from The X-Files.
In other B5 news: Fleer/Skybox will release a new line of "Special Edition" B5 trading cards in June. The common cards in the set include a 72-card retrospective of the show's pilot episode, as well as cards themed after Ships of the Earth Alliance, Ships of the Shadow War, and Babylon 5 Perspectives.
-- P.L.
ID4 II in the works?
ork is already progressing on a $100 million sequel to last year's blockbuster Independence Day, tentatively entitled ID 4EVER. At least, that's the rumor according to Empire Magazine.
In this installment -- surprise! -- the aliens come back to try to conquer the Earth again. ID4 stars Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum apparently haven't re-upped for the sequel, though the word is that President Bill Pullman will seek reelection for a second term, running a presumably much less crowded United States.
-- P.L.
More on the star wars over Star Wars
peculation about who will star in the upcoming prequel trilogy to Star Wars has centered around major Hollywood stars. Now comes word that George Lucas may be showing a preference for new and unknown talent, as he did in the original series, according to the latest gossip on the Empire Magazine Web site.
Empire quotes an unnamed crew member as saying: "The cast for the original Star Wars in 1977 was mainly unknowns -- Lucas only hired people like Sir Alec Guinness so the major studios would back him. As far as he sees it, the films will sell themselves on their own anyway so he doesn't need big names on board this time."
Meanwhile, ZENtertainment reports the rumor that the unofficial titles of the first three Star Wars films are: Star Wars: the Balance of the Force, Star Wars: Rise of the Empire, and Star Wars: Fall of The Jedi.
And ZENtertainment adds this to the cast rumor mill: Gregory Hines (Waiting to Exhale) is rumored to have been cast as a character with some connection to Lando Calrissian.
In a sign that not everyone cares what happens in Luke and Leia's universe, the Hollywood Reporter carried a story that moviegoers in the Czech and Slovak republics were less than wowed by the rerelease of the original trilogy.
Star Wars: The Special Edition and The Empire Strikes Back: The Special Edition drew only 11,936 admissions during its first four-day weekend starting April 10, the trade paper reported. By comparison, 19,399 people went to see Independence Day on opening day a few months earlier.
-- P.L.
Who's Screaming now?
iramax, the studio behind Wes Craven's surprise horror hit Scream, has found itself with a little to yell about: rival studio Sony won a judgment from an arbitration panel ordering Miramax to stop using the title or pay Sony $1,500 a day per screen, Daily Variety reported.
The reason? Sony says its 1996 SF horror film Screamers staked out the name first, precluding Miramax from using the name without permission.
Since Scream is now playing on 1,216 screens, the potential fine adds up to $1.8 million a day. Miramax, which is already planning Scream 2, is reportedly hoping to work out a deal with Sony that would give it the right to use the title.
-- P.L.
Lost in Space coming to a store near you
ew Line Cinema, hoping to cash in on its remake of the campy 1960s SF TV show Lost in Space, has already made merchandising deals for toys and books, Daily Variety reports.
Trendmasters, which has produced toys based on Independence Day and Godzilla, will come out with a line of action figures, vehicles and a replica of the signature robot from the series. Publishers Harper Prism and Scholastic, meanwhile, each plan to publish about 10 tie-in books by the end of 1998.
-- P.L.
Beowulf heads for big screen
he great-, great-, great-, great-grandfather of all sword and sorcery epics, Beowulf, comes to the big screen for the first time ever in a $20-million feature production to star Christopher Lambert (Highlander), according to Threshold Entertainment. The movie will be loosely based on the 8th-Century epic poem that is among the oldest extant English-language manuscripts, and is being billed as a science-fiction fantasy adventure with serious special effects.
The film, to be jointly produced, financed and distributed by the Kushner-Locke Co. and Capitol Films and Threshold Entertainment's Lawrence Kasanoff, will begin shooting in Europe in the fall. For those whose Anglo-Saxon language skills are a little rusty, Beowulf tells the tale of a warrior who sets out to slay the monster Grendel and its mother, reigns as king and dies after fighting a fearsome dragon.
(Interesting side note: the epic poem formed the basis of Michael Crichton's book about Vikings, Eaters of the Dead, which is being made into a feature film by the Walt Disney Co.)
-- P.L.
Finalists for Sturgeon Award named
udges have named 11 SF stories as finalists for the prestigious Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award for the best short science fiction of the year, awarded by the J. Wayne and Elsie M. Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction at the University of Kansas.
The award is named in honor of the late Theodore Sturgeon, the celebrated writer of science fiction and fantasy. This year's winner and runners-up will be announced on July 11. The finalists:
- William Barton, Age of Aquarius
- James P. Blaylock, Thirteen Phantasms
- Suzy McKee Charnas, Beauty and the OpEra or the Phantom Beast
- John Crowley, Gone
- Gregory Feeley, The Weighing of Ayre
- John M. Ford, Erase/Record/Play
- Karen Joy Fowler, The Elizabeth Complex
- Nancy Kress, Marigold Outlet
- Nancy Kress, The Flowers of Aulit Prison
- Michael Swanwick, Radio Waves
- Jeff VanderMeer, Dradin, In Love
-- P.L.
Card brother launches e-zine
rson Scott Card's brother Arlen is getting into the SF publishing business as well, with the new e-zine Undiscovered Country: Beyond Imagination. This 'zine is being billed as "a monthly magazine featuring the finest of imaginative fiction from some of the world's leading authors."
In addition to fantasy, science fiction and horror stories, Undiscovered Country will feature interviews, reviews, critical analyses and progressive novels, with each subsequent chapter provided by a reader.
An added bonus for Generation MMX: the site includes audio clips of the authors reading from their stories, as well as a monthly chat for subscribers with an author, artist or scientist. A beta of the first issue is available in Adobe's portable document format.
-- P.L.
Apotheosis Saga wins Mark Time Award
evin Swan and Jason Cole of Cephalopod Productions and the latest chapters of their
Apotheosis Saga have won the Gold Mark, the highest honor in the Mark Time Awards for Best Science Fiction Audio Productions of the Year.
The Silver Mark award went to The Island of Dr. Moreau, from the Atlanta Radio Theatre Company's Henry Howard and Thomas E. Fuller.
The awards, given by the American Society for Science Fiction Audio with the support of Minicon and the Minnesota Science Fiction Society, were presented at Minicon 32 in March.
-- P.L.
James Cameron's Avatar to introduce first
"synthespians"
ilmmaker James Cameron (Titanic, Terminator 2) -- giving new meaning to the phrase, "Great actors are made, not born"-- plans to direct a dozen computer-generated actors in his new SF actioner Avatar.
"We're developing a broad-spectrum toolset for integrating animation, motion capture, and live action in a photorealistic way," Cameron told Wired scribe Paula Parisi. That means the film will feature "organically believable lip-synching characters," Cameron said.
Such actors would be another film first for Cameron, who pioneered the use of computer graphics in his earlier films and is a founding partner in the Los Angeles-based special effects firm Digital Domain.
-- P.L.
Briefly noted...
- E.T. child-star Henry Thomas will join Patrick Stewart in the USA Network upcoming miniseries Moby Dick. Thomas, now 24, has signed on to play Ishmael in the latest adaptation of Herman Melville's famous book about the great white whale. Production on the miniseries will begin later this month.
- Independence Day topped the $500 million mark in overseas gross after the film closed out its foreign run with a whopping $91.9 million take at the Japanese box-office. All told the film's worldwide gross stands at $806 million, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
- Lucy Lawless can sing! During a recent appearance on Rosie O'Donnell's talk show, Lawless impressed everyone with her vocal talents, including the producers of the Broadway show Grease, who promptly offered Lawless the role of Rizzo in their ever-popular musical.
- Famed SF&F author Andre Norton's longtime friend and business manager, Ingrid Zierhut, died of lung cancer on Sunday, April 20, at the age of 64.
- Microsoft billionaire Paul Allen turns out to be quite the SF afficionado. Among the favorite books and movies he lists on his new Web site www.paulallen.com are Bladerunner and "anything by Jack Vance."
- NBC is spending $1.3 million to produce a 3-D episode of 3rd Rock from the Sun, scheduled to air May 18, according to the Los Angeles Times.
- Deep Space Nine actor Rene Auberjonois (Odo) appeared in a play called "Archy-Types: The Adventures of Archy and Mehitabel" at the Mayer Theater in Santa Clara last month. The play was written by his wife, Judith Auberjonois.
- The small press magazine Keen Science Fiction! has ceased publication. A note from the editor to subscribers read: "I'm very sorry to say that KSF! has been forced by a severe change in our personal circumstances to shut down."
- The ashes of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry -- along with the remains of 23 other after-death space explorers -- were successfully launched into orbit on April 21 by the private company Celestis Inc.
- A soundtrack album from the syndicated SF TV series The Outer Limits will be released later this month on Sonic Images Records. The album will feature a dance remix of the show's main theme song, and the scores from eight episodes.
- A feature based on the video game Area 51 is being developed by New Line Cinema. Star Trek: The Next Generation veteran writers Brannon Braga and Ronald Moore have been hired to write the script.
- On June 18 Inkworks will release a collector card series based on the upcoming SF comedy Men in Black. The series will feature images from the film, a tour of the MiB secret headquarters and a guide to the MiB galaxy.
- Director Tim Burton (Mars Attacks!) is attached to direct a remake of the 1963 cult SF classic X - The Man with the X-ray Eyes for DreamWorks SKG and Orion Pictures.
