Out of the Woodwork 179. September 2011
Fantastic Literature - setting the standards for out of print on-line bookselling. Share

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!

Contents:-

The 2011 Hugo award winners in all their glory! Announced at Renovation, the 69th World Science Fiction Convention
The Sidewise awards for Alternate History were also announced at Renovation
Doctor Who:- The God Complex Trailer. It stars David Walliams and was written by Toby Whithouse… take a sneak peak at The God Complex.
The US Postal Service has announced the 2012 release of a forever stamp in honor of Edgar Rice Burroughs
Filming starts in Glasgow for Brad Pitt zombie movie.
Scripts for Game of Thrones stolen from the US Mail - just in case you get offered any!
Terra Nova - Fox's new SF adventure (Executive Producer - Steven Spielberg) we've the trailer for you
The Lone Ranger 'shut down by Disney' - too expensive insiders say?
Private donors help re-open mothballed telescopes searching for ET.
The shortlists for the 2011 CWA Gold, Ian Fleming Steel and John Creasey (New Blood) Daggers have been officially announced.
Fifty new exoplanets discovered, some of them capable of supporting life

Goodreads - our ongoing feature so you can see what's being read here at Fantastic HQ, and add to it if you wish by sending us your reviews. Or join us on Facebook

One for the Collective consciousness. Another satisfied customer, problem solved!! And yet another has fallen into our in-box. Can you help?

Obituaries: .British SF writer Colin Harvey, 50, died August 15, 2011 of a stroke. Actor Cliff Robertson at the age of 88. Andy Whitfield, the British star of US TV drama Spartacus: Blood and Sand, has died at the age of 39
Department of Smug Self Satisfaction - what our kind customers have to say about the fantastic experience. Possibly the weirdest one we've ever had!
Silly Stuff. The Independent Cryptic crossword and a wondrous Terry Pratchett moment on August 23rd - see the clues! James Murdoch in Star Wars shock! Also the hilarious clip from BBC's "Mock the Week" - unlikely lines from Children's Books - very rude!
Latest new arrivals - just have a look at some of the tasty items from our most recent booklist:-

External Blinks:

NPR's Top 100 Science Fiction, Fantasy Books, results of 60,000 votes - all the books in one list - smashing! Don't you just love a list like this!
The witch trial that made legal history - a fascinating story from the BBC
Guardian SF review by Eric Brown
London Calling talks to Andy Sawyer about the British Library - Out Of This World: Science Fiction but not as you know it exhibition.
The BBC has an excellent feature: Roald Dahl and the darkness within
Book Monkey has an interview with Jo Fletcher from Quercus books about her new imprint! Jo Fletcher Books

Simon's bookshelf: read

2011 Hugo Award Winners. Announced at Renovation, the 69th World Science Fiction Convention

Best Novel
Blackout/All Clear by Connie Willis (Ballantine Spectra)

Best Novella
The Lifecycle of Software Objects by Ted Chiang (Subterranean)

Best Novelette
“The Emperor of Mars” by Allen M. Steele (Asimov’s, June 2010)

Best Short Story
“For Want of a Nail” by Mary Robinette Kowal (Asimov’s, September 2010)

Best Related Work
Chicks Dig Time Lords: A Celebration of Doctor Who by the Women Who Love It, edited by Lynne M. Thomas and Tara O’Shea (Mad Norwegian)

Best Graphic Story
Girl Genius, Volume 10: Agatha Heterodyne and the Guardian Muse, written by Phil and Kaja Foglio; art by Phil Foglio; colors by Cheyenne Wright (Airship Entertainment)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form
Inception, written and directed by Christopher Nolan (Warner)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form
Doctor Who: “The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang,” written by Steven Moffat; directed by Toby Haynes (BBC Wales)

Best Editor, Short Form
Sheila Williams

Best Editor, Long Form
Lou Anders

Best Professional Artist
Shaun Tan

Best Semiprozine
Clarkesworld, edited by Neil Clarke, Cheryl Morgan, Sean Wallace; podcast directed by Kate Baker

Best Fanzine
The Drink Tank, edited by Christopher J Garcia and James Bacon

Best Fan Writer
Claire Brialey

Best Fan Artist
Brad W. Foster

John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer
Lev Grossman

Winners of the Sidewise Awards for Alternate History were announced on Thursday August 18, 2011 at Renovation. Winners are highlighted.
Short Form:
•“A Clash of Eagles,” Alan Smale, in Panverse Two, Dario Ciriello, ed. (Panverse)

Long Form
•When Angels Wept, Eric G. Swedin (Potomac Books)

Doctor Who: The God Complex Trailer

The US Postal Service has announced the 2012 release of a forever stamp in honor of Edgar Rice Burroughs, the early-twentieth-century author best known for his Tarzan of the Apes series and John Carter of Mars books.
The stamp, which shows an image of Tarzan clinging to a tree combined with a profile of Burroughs based on a 1934 photo, is the creation of artist Sterling Hundley and art director Phil Jordan

Parts of Glasgow are being turned into war-torn ruins for the next two weeks as filming for a new Hollywood blockbuster gets under way. World War Z is a post-apocalyptic zombie movie starring Brad Pitt. A cast and crew of about 1,200 people will be involved in shooting scenes in George Square and other city centre locations. An open casting was held last month to recruit local people to star as zombie extras. BBC story

George R.R. Martin has reported that two autographed scripts from the first season of HBO’s Game of Thrones, based on his A Song of Ice and Fire series, were apparently stolen from the US mail. The scripts were intended to be auctioned for charity. The final shooting scripts for “Baelor” and “Fire and Blood”, episodes nine and ten of season one, were autographed by writers David Benioff & D.B. Weiss, and director Alan Taylor. Martin would appreciate being notified if anyone sees the scripts for sale.

Terra Nova - Fox's new SF adventure (Executive Producer - Steven Spielberg - looks pretty stunning (as you'd expect)

Disney's much-anticipated big-screen adaptation of The Lone Ranger starring Johnny Depp has been put on hold, according to industry reports. Deadline Hollywood said the studio had stopped pre-production over problems with reducing the movie's estimated $250m (£154m) cost. The Social Network star Armie Hammer was set to play the masked Texas Ranger with Depp as his partner Tonto. Filming had been due to begin in October in New Mexico
BBC story

Telescopes looking for extra terrestrial intelligence should re-open within weeks after donors replaced income lost in public funding cuts. The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute, had to shut the $30m (£18.3m) Allen Telescope Array in April. Donors, including actress Jodie Foster, raised more than $200,000 (£122,000). The 42 radio telescopes, in northern California, search space for potential signals from alien life forms. BBC News

The shortlists for the 2011 CWA Gold, Ian Fleming Steel and John Creasey (New Blood) Daggers have been officially announced

The CWA Gold Dagger contenders are A.D. Miller, also shortlisted for the Man Booker with Snowdrops, a grim tale of life in Putin’s Russia, up against Tom Franklin’s Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter, a poignant suspense novel drenched in the languid atmosphere of small-town Mississippi where police investigate the murder of a local teenage girl; Denise Mina, whose The End of The Wasp Season suggests that as a society we use ‘evil’ as a means to disengage from our problems, and Steve Hamilton’s The Lock Artist whose protagonist Mike is an elective mute who can pick locks and break safes.

The Lock Artist is also shortlisted for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for Best Thriller. Also in the running is S.J. Watson’s Before I Go To Sleep, a thriller all the more frightening for its authenticity as Watson based his protagonist’s terrifying predicament on a factual medical condition. The Good Son by Michael Gruber immerses the reader in the gritty reality of modern jihadism and conflicting cultural loyalties, whilst Craig Smith’s Cold Rain sets corruption, betrayal and murder within the confines of a university campus.

The CWA John Creasey New Blood Dagger sees S.J. Watson earning a second nomination. He is up against Kiss Me Quick from Danny Miller, portraying a Mods and Rocker filled Brighton, Sam Hawken’s The Dead Woman of Juárez, set within the real-life mass female homicides that went on in Mexico during the Nineties, and Conor Fitzgerald’s The Dogs of Rome featuring the brutal underbelly of Rome’s political elite. CWA

Astronomers using a telescope in Chile have discovered 50 previously unknown exoplanets. The bumper haul of new worlds includes 16 "super-Earths" - planets with a greater mass than our own, but below those of gas giants such as Jupiter. One of these super-Earths orbits inside the habitable zone - the region around a star where conditions could be hospitable to life. The planets were identified using the Harps instrument in La Silla in Chile. BBC

One for the collective consciousness:-

Here's the new one:-

Looking for a book ?70's I am looking for a science fiction book I read years ago, and would love to read again. But I have forgotten its author and title. It is a story about a space journey using gates that are tarot like symbols that only the 'navigator' can decipher in order to pass through them. I think they find a lost book which has symbols that will lead back to an ancient 'lost'/mythological planet...Earth? Do you know the name and author of the book, or whom I could contact to help me. Thankyou. Jerry Haworth. - email us if you can help

and how about this for more success:-

Does anyone remember a short story (from the fifties or earlier)in which a guy wakes up one morning to find he has a shiny metal halo hovering above his head. For a while he is the centre of attention but pretty soon this starts happening to people all over the world. It's not long before nearly everyone has a halo those who haven't are treated as social pariahs. The halos cannot be removed or damaged and have a razor sharp inner edge which discourages people from touching them. one day, at the same time all over the world, the halos drop onto the 'wearers' shoulders and shift one foot to the right.....end of human race, except for a few pariahs.Iread this story in an anthology from my Dad's ever-changing collection of old paperbacks. The final image has stuck with me for fifty years but not the title or author so if anyone can help?? Mike Metcalfe - e-mail us if you can help

John Boston was off the mark like a greyhound after a rabbit: The story described is "Eternity" by William F. Temple, from SCIENCE FANTASY #12 (1955).

Michael replied equally quickly: Many thanks John,
This sounds spot on. I will now have to find a copy!
regards
Mike Metcalfe

Obituaries:

British SF writer Colin Harvey, 50, died August 15, 2011 of a stroke. Harvey began publishing short fiction in 2001, with about 30 stories appearing in various anthologies, Interzone, Albedo One, and other magazines. His first novel Vengeance appeared in 2001. Angry Robot Obituary

Cliff Robertson, a day after his 88th birthday. He won an Oscar for his role in Charly (based on Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes), and played Uncle Ben in the Spiderman movies. LA Times obituary

Andy Whitfield, the British star of US TV drama Spartacus: Blood and Sand, has died at the age of 39. Whitfield died on Sunday in Sydney, Australia, 18 months after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, his family and manager said. His wife, Vashti, described him as "our beautiful young warrior". BBC obituary

Department of Smug Self Satisfaction.

1. Item is as described. Pity the publisher's proofreaders weren't really up to the job. I've found loads of mistakes. But that's not the seller's fault. Packaging was Awesome! Did the person who did it work for LinneyDirect at any time? First rate security packing! Wish I could award you more stars! (Amazon UK)

2. Ganz, ganz toll. This must be the most thoughtfully wrapped book I ever received. Felt like a birthday gift. I could even study last Sundays paper! Wish I could swing by to see who is behind this. Will bookmark you. Thank you, Margo (Amazon De)

3. So so so so perfect. Thank you for an excellent service. (Amazon US)

4. Prompt and beautifully and diligently wrapped,including some pages of newspapers giving me a chance to catch up on the news. Very satisfied and will shop with Fantastic-Literature again. Well done! (Amazon UK to a French buyer)

5. If you shut your eyes and are a lucky one, you may see at times a shapeless pool of lovely pale colours suspended in the darkness; then if you squeeze your eyes tighter, the pool begins to take shape, and the colours become so vivid that with another squeeze they must go on fire. But just before they go on fire you see the lagoon. (Amazon De - possibly the weirdest feedback we've ever got!)

6. This was a seamless transaction. The physical distance between seller and buyer was invisible. I look forward to doing business in the future (Amazon US)

7. Great Seller : Book in Pristine Condition as described, Quiky Shipping , Safe Packaging : Fantastic ! ): ++++++++++++ (Amazon Fr)

8. Fantastic service from Fantastic Literature UK! My order arrived amazingly quickly, ahead of two other orders, placed at the same time, that had the advantage of not having to cross the atlantic. I would not hesitate to make other purchases from Fantastic Literature UK. (Amazon Ca)

Silly stuff:

The Independent Cryptic Crossword. On August 23rd a clue intrigued me - but not for long:

7. Author's material exercise involving unidirectional exercise (5,9) Terry Pratchett I gasped and then these came up - can you solve them?

2. The elements increase for 7's granny (10)

11/23. Chocolate or gum if chewed, 7's work (3,6,2,5)

14/9/8D/20. 7's work heeded, in truth, with a dozen amusing academic rats, possibly (3,7,7,3,3,8,7)

James Murdoch - he of the alleged phone hacking scandals used to have "a life sized cardboard cut out of Darth Vader outside his office!" according to the Independent of the 11th July.

Dumb Britain: In it to Win it (BBC1)

Dale Winton: What form of literature was Samuel Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"? Was it a novel, a stage play or a poem?

Contestant: A novel

Dale Winton: It was a poem. I thought that "rime" might be a clue.

Contestant.: I know. I thought it was a trick question.

BBC's Mock the Week: Unlikely Lines from Children's Books - be warned!

New arrivals for your delectation:-

H.P.Lovecraft. The Horror in the Museum	Carl Jacobi. Disclosures in Scarlet	Peter Ruber (ed) Arkhams Masters of Horror	H.P.Lovecraft. Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos	H.P.Lovecraft. At the Mountains of Madness

The Master in Cafe Morphine: A Homage to Mikail Bulgakov	Five Degrees of Latitude by Michael Reynier	December by Phil Rickman (due December)	Threesome by Ray Garton	Death Rattles edited by Gary Fry

Iain Banks. Transition	Patricia Briggs. River Marked	David Goyer & Michael Cassutt. Heaven's Shadow	F Paul Wilson. Jack: Secret Circles	S L Grey. The Mall

Carl Jacobi. The Tomb from Beyond	August Derleth (ed) Dark Mind, Dark Heart	Stephen King. Creepshow	Carl Jacobi. Revelations in Black

http://www.fantasticliterature.com
We welcome your input, your views on genre books, films etc.
Recommend anything to our 8,000 readers or ask a question.
We are sure to be in touch with someone who can help.

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.

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, OotW159, OotW 160, OotW161, OotW162, OotW 163, OotW164, OotW 165, OotW 166, OotW167, OotW168 OotW 169, OotW170, OotW171, OotW172, OotW173, OotW 174, OotW 175, OotW176, OotW 177, OotW178,