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Out
of the Woodwork 159. December 2009
Welcome to our newsletter, it contains up to the minute news and gossip as well as awards details and items requiring help from the collective consciousness. If you wish to contribute please do so! We welcome your thoughts, your news items and any gossip! We do love a bit of gossip here at Fantastic HQ. Seasons greetings we wish you all a merry christmas and a happy and peaceful New Year to all our clients and friends, we hope 2010 is better for you than 2009! See our silly christmas card here. In this newsletter: OotW Blinks: Kim
Stanley Robinson - Guardian profile on SF's realist Christmas Competition. We have two copies of "The Adversary" by James R Bowman to give away! A massive tome of some 1,000+ pp, it is is the first book in "The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse Saga". To win all you have to do is email us the answer to this question: What was J R R Tolkiens date of birth? Send your email to us with Competiton in the subject line and your answer, we will make the draw on 3rd January and send out the books thereafter! Death, War, Famine and Pestilence; known to the sentient races of the Multiverse as the Absolutes, face their greatest threat since the first race made its mark on the cosmos. The Adversary, Lucifer s right hand and enforcer has decided the time has come for him to take charge instead of orders; freeing Fenris the Dread Wolf to aid him and systematically wiping out the Earth s guardians those individuals whose destiny it was to protect the world from extinction and slavery he gathers his forces, poised to strike and annihilate humanity.
Michael Moorcock to pen a Doctor Who novel. The BBC is in talks with the fantasy author Michael Moorcock to write a Doctor Who novel, it has confirmed. Michael Moorcock, who has written dozens of books including the Elric of Melnibone novels, said on his website that the Doctor Who book would appear in 2010. "Looks like it's official," he said. "I'll be doing a new Doctor Who novel (not a tie-in) for appearance, I understand, by next Christmas." Full BBC story Novelist Neil Gaiman, has won this year's Booktrust Teenage Prize with The Graveyard Book. The story is about a child abandoned in a graveyard after his parents are murdered and is raised by ghosts.Chair judge Judi James said his writing was "gentle, fluid and humorous". We loved reading it here at Fantastic HQ. Full BBC story Philip Pullman, the author of His Dark Materials, has written his own version of the New Testament in which the story of Jesus is given a "different ending". The writer has penned an alternative Bible passage imagining a different fate for Christ, who was executed by the Romans. Daily Telegraph story Lost Dr
Who episodes - why were they never shown? . Why
spend thousands of pounds to make an episode of one of the most
popular TV series of the time, only to leave it gathering dust in
the archive?A strike does help explain the non-appearance of Shada
- a six-part Doctor Who story - yet this is perhaps the most inexplicable
of the three. Shada was formally droppped from the 17th season of
Doctor Who in December 1979. Full
BBC story Thanks for including my bit in OOTW 158.
Robert Bloch's short story 'Yrs Truly, Jack the Ripper' 1943. Robert Bloch's short story 'A Toy for Juliette' 1967. (A sequel specially written for Harlan Ellison's 'Dangerous Visions'.) Harlan Ellison's short story 'The Prowler in the City at the End of the World' 1967. (Written by agreement with Bloch as a follow-up to Juliette, also in 'Dangerous Visions'.) The 'Babylon 5' episode 'Comes the Inquisitor', 1995. Written by J Michael Straczynski as a private tribute to Harlan Ellison's story, extrapolating how Jack might continue to be used in the future. The stories are all great in their own right, but taken together they form a progressive narrative that gives Jack's evil fascinating new dimensions. Cheers .. Fay
Sir Richard Branson has unveiled the rocket plane he will use to take fare-paying passengers into space. SpaceShipTwo was presented to the world in Mojave, California. The vehicle will undergo testing over the next 18 months before being allowed to take ticketed individuals on short-hop trips just above the atmosphere. About 300 individuals are reported to have signed up for a flight. They are all willing to pay about $200,000 (£121,000) for the privilege of experiencing six minutes of weightlessness during what will be a two-hour end-to-end flight. Full BBC story + video Stephen
King is plotting a sequel to "The Shining". Jack
Torrance's little boy Danny was last seen recuperating in Maine
after escaping the insane evil of the Overlook Hotel, but Stephen
King is now plotting a sequel to The Shining which would age the
clairvoyant boy to 40 and transport him to a New York hospice. Speaking
to an audience of fans in Toronto about his new novel Under the
Dome, King divulged that he'd begun working on a tentative idea
for a follow-up to The Shining – first published in 1977 –
last summer. Guardian
story The director of Paranormal Activity has said he is "overwhelmed" by the movie's success in passing the $100m (£60m) mark at the US box office. Oren Peli's ghost story, filmed on a video camera in his own house for just $15,000 (£9,000), has become one of the most profitable movies of all time. "I'm pleased and overwhelmed and a bit shocked," Peli told BBC News on Friday."The whole thing has been kind of crazy, so this is just one more crazy thing that's going on." Full BBC story Mark Kermode begs to differ.
"Besides being one of the most financially successful movies
in history, this year's Paranormal Activity has also picked up a
reputation for being one of the scariest. The reactions of some
people have been compared to the effect of The Exorcist on audiences
way back in 1973. So what am I missing?"
Mark Kermode - BBC Science fiction thriller Moon has been named best British independent film and its director, Duncan Jones, has won an award for best first-time film-maker by the British Film Institute. Full BBC story Artist Frank Frazetta's son, Alfonso Frank Frazetta, 52, was arrested December 9, 2009, on charges of attempting to steal approximately $20 million in paintings from the Frank Frazetta Museum in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. According to the police report, Frazetta Jr., with the help of two men, including one operating a backhoe, broke through the museum door and attempted to make off with about 90 paintings. He was arrested by state police and charged with burglary, theft by unlawful taking, and criminal trespass. Police report Tintin film finished. Steven Spielberg's Tintin film is in the can, but it will take two years for the computer animation to be completed, producer Peter Jackson has said. The Lord Of The Rings director told the BBC: "Tintin is great. It's made. The movie is cut together and now [we] are turning it into a fully-rendered film". "So the movie, to some degree, exists in a very rough state." BBC story Nasa's experiment last month to find water on the Moon was a major success, US scientists have announced. The space agency smashed a rocket and probe into a large crater at the lunar south pole, hoping to kick up ice. Scientists who have studied the data now say instruments trained on the impact plume saw copious quantities of water vapour. One researcher described this as the equivalent of "a dozen two-gallon buckets" of water. Full BBC story Two for the collective consciousness:- a)I read this novel in the Seventies. A sort of 'Day of the Triffids'
but where the catastrophe was 'crustal displacement' (very a la
2012) where global volcanic action wipes out much of humanity. The
main thing I remember was that there were few women survivors and
those that there were are jealously guarded and held in common by
the men of the groups. Fairly bleak I recall. b)I have a question that I'm hoping the collective consciousness
can help me with. Back in the early 90's (I think) I read a sci-fi
book from the local library. One of the few things I remember about
it is that it involved Antarctica and that the people living there
had a treatment to resist UV which turned their skins purplish.
I know it's a long shot but, I'm hoping someone else might remember
it and it's title! Can you help? Email us Leona Lewis has recorded the signature song for upcoming science fiction film, Avatar. The 24-year-old X Factor winner performs the tune that will accompany the closing credits, called I See You. The much-hyped Avatar, directed by James Cameron, is being billed as an epic adventure with new standards of special effects. The director first conceived the film 15 years ago but back then the technology didn't exist to make it happen. Premiering in London in December, it tells the tale of an alien race defending their land against human invasion. We just can't wait to see it! Full BBC story Children's author Enid Blyton was banned from the BBC for nearly 30 years because her work was considered "small beer", archive documents have revealed. The best-selling writer unsuccessfully approached the corporation several times to get her material on the radio. Executives considered the Famous Five and Noddy creator "second-rate" and lacking literary value, according to 18 newly released letters and memos. She first pitched ideas in 1936 but did not appear on Woman's Hour until 1963. BBC story . Robert Holdstock Robert was taken into hospital in late November with a serious e-Coli infection, and then things got worse and he passed away on October 29th. He will be missed by many. British Fantasy Society Tribute Veteran actor Edward Woodward has died aged 79, his agent has confirmed. The Croydon-born star had been suffering from various illnesses, including pneumonia, and died in hospital, said Janet Glass. Woodward is most famous for his roles in the cult 1973 horror film The Wicker Man, alongside Sir Christopher Lee, and TV series The Equalizer and Callan. BBC obituary British bibliographer and literary scholar I.F. Clarke died November 5, 2009 in a nursing home, following complications from a leg amputation in August. Clarke was an expert in future-war fiction, and his many publications include Voices Prophesying War (1966), the eight-volume British Future Fiction series (2001), and some important bibliographies. With his wife Margaret (who survives him), he produced translations and critical editions of early French science fiction. We knew I F Clarke, who was also called "Knobby" as we purchased a number of books from him at his lovely Cotswold home, we send all the family our condolences. Don Congdon, a literary agent who spotted the talent of Ray Bradbury early in both their careers and whose long list of celebrated authors also included William Styron, Jack Finney, Evan S. Connell, William L. Shirer and David Sedaris, died on Monday November 30th at his home in Brooklyn Heights. He was 91. NY Times Harry C. Crosby, Jr., who wrote SF as Christopher Anvil, died at home in Cayuta NY on November 30th, 2009. He was born Mar. 11, 1925 in Norwich, CT.
Natalie Portman is set to slay the undead in a movie adaptation of best-seller Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, it is reported. Portman will play feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet, according to trade publication Variety. The novel, by Seth Grahame-Smith, takes Jane Austen's classic and adds a new subplot in which the story takes place as the dead rise from the grave.The five Bennett sisters are all trained in deadly martial arts,. We read the novel on Holiday in France, great fun and very tongue in cheek. Full BBC story
US books returned 50 years late! A former student at an Arizona school has returned two library books, 50 years late, and with a $1,000 (£600) cheque to cover overdue fees. Librarian Georgette Bordine at Camelback High School in Phoenix said the books were checked out in 1959. Ouch! Full BBC story THE ENDEAVOUR AWARD......for a distinguished SCIENCE FICTION or FANTASY BOOK written by a Pacific Northwest author or authors and published in the previous year. The award represents a collaboration between writers and fans of Science Fiction and Fantasy to encourage the growth of literature in the field and recognize works of excellence. It is named for H.M. Bark Endeavour, the ship of Northwest explorer Capt. James Cook. 2009 ENDEAVOUR AWARD WINNER
US author Cormac McCarthy is selling the trusty old typewriter he has used to type all of his books. The worn-out 1958 portable Olivetti machine is expected to fetch up to $20,000 (£13,200) when it is sold at auction in New York this week. The 76-year-old author of No Country for Old Men and the excellent The Road, bought the typewriter for $50 (£30) from a pawnshop in 1963. BBC story Fossil thieves making lots of money but the impact on science is dire: Armed with rock chisels, it took the thief only a few minutes to wipe out 135 million years of history. The fossilised iguanodon footprint was hacked out of the limestone slab where it had lain in a Dorset quarry and spirited away by an illicit collector to be sold or put into a private collection. Independent story Mr Benn - street tribute. Mr Benn's adventures always began when he visited a magical fancy dress shop and now residents of the street that helped inspire the Mr Benn stories have clubbed together to pay tribute to the classic children's character. Festing Road, in Putney, south London, became famous when illustrator David McKee lived there in the late 1960s and made it Mr Benn's home address. On Saturday, an engraved paving slab will be laid outside the house where McKee invented his famous cartoon. McKee has also revealed that he is in talks about a Mr Benn movie. BBC story The book club made famous by presenters Richard and Judy is to return to TV screens, but with celebrity reviewers replacing the couple. The TV Book Club will review "the most compelling reads for 2010" and be fronted by stars including stylist Gok Wan and comedian Jo Brand. We loved the original Richard and Judy show, we aren't sure what this will be like. BBC story Department of Smug Self satisfaction: 1) Hello Laraine, Thanks for getting back to me. I’ve only got one query. The amount £4.74 seems too low. I’m assuming that this is a first – complaining about the low price. Can I confirm that there were 2 titles in that order – The Knight and Knave of Swords by Fritz Leiber and The War Lord of the Air by Michael Moorcock. Thanks. PM. 2) Brilliantly packed, quickly despatched, immaculate example of internet trading! 3) I can't believe I ordered this after I ordered from a US vendor and rec'd it way before the US vendor shipped their order! Thank you! 4) Item arrived very quickly and was in excellant condition. Much appreciated. Great service. 5) J'ai été très impressionnée par la rapidité de l'envoi et la grande qualité de l'emballage! Je crois qu'il est difficilement possible de faire mieux. Merci! 6) "Superbly wrapped. Thank you, much appreciated." 7) War alles zu meiner Zufriedenheit. Jederzeit wieder. DANKE 9) Hi Simon,just to let you know my book arrived this morning,2/12/09,in perfect condition always great to get my orders this quick .I also left good feedback on Amazon .Thanks again Stewart Green.
11) Now that's what I call quick! The book arrived this morning! I'd just like to add that I've been very impressed by the range and quality of the books I've been buying from you since I discovered your online business a couple of weeks ago. You can expect a lot more orders from me in the future. :) I used to shop at the Fantasy Centre before it sadly closed down this year. You seem to be a very good replacement.Cheers,Rob 12) Hi, I received the books yesterday (in just 5 days), it was
faster than ordering something from most of the online stores in
Turkey. 13) I use the marketplace for the first time, long enough to easily
and quickly fizzled out what his dreams, fell into the hands of
the unexpected addition, wild with joy, and gratitude. (Japanese
translation)
1. Voodoo Child - Jimi Hendrix http://www.fantasticliterature.com We also buy books and travel around the country to purchase, we will pay a finders fee to anyone who puts us in touch with a collection we later purchase. Instant ordering on our web site in small press, magazines and special offers. http://www.fantasticliterature.com Good reading and watching - Simon & Laraine. Fantastic Literature Limited 35 The Ramparts Rayleigh Essex, SS6 8PY United Kingdom Previous OotW - archives OotW121. OotW122. OotW 123, OotW 124, OotW 125, OotW 126, OotW 127, OotW 128, OotW 129, OotW 130, OotW 131, OotW 132, OotW 133, OotW134, OotW135, OotW136, OotW 137, OotW138, OotW 139, OotW 140, OotW141, OotW 142, OotW 143, OotW144, OotW145, OotW146. OotW147, OotW148, OotW149, OotW 150, OotW151, OotW 152, OotW 153, OotW 154, OotW155, OotW156, OotW157, OotW 158
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