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Latest Newsletter | |
Out
of the Woodwork 181. November 2011
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:- Amazon retroactively replaces Reamde, repelled
readers revolt, the perils of the Kindle eh? 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 and get lots of up to date news direct from Fantastic HQ. New stock updates a speciality! One for the Collective consciousness. Still
no joy with this one. Can you help? External Blinks: Zombie craze continues to infect popular culture - BBC
Feature
You can also join our facebook blog to keep abreast of our news,
including new stock updates.
Fantastic
Literature Amazon remade its Kindle edition of Neal Stephenson’s new novel Reamde, and is now getting reamed by disgruntled readers, GalleyCat and CNet report. The e-book had been pulled from the Kindle store on Tuesday, October 4th, and customers who had bought it received a cryptic (and ungrammatical) email from Amazon advising them that “the version you received had Missing Content that have (sic) been corrected.” The manner in which this correction was applied has upset customers such as Cynthia Ewer, who was 400 pages into the over-1,000-page novel, or cdale77 who was 500 pages in. They were not upset at obvious typos in the book that they found so much as they were put out by Amazon’s high-handed notification that told them there had been “Missing Content” but gave them no idea exactly what or where that “Missing Content” was. (Even Amazon’s phone support people couldn’t say.) Also, the replacement wiped out any highlights, bookmarks, and notes made in the previous version, as well as the place-keeping bookmark noting the furthest location read. One reader produced text copies of both the old and new versions (undoubtedly having to crack DRM illegally to do so) and ran them through the diff comparison tool to find out what had been changed, and it turned out that the changes were not major: a few missing words here and there had been corrected, the spelling of the cover artist’s name had been fixed—and in one case, a new typo was introduced! Teleread
More woes
for the British Fantasy Society. Following the controversy
over his possible conflict of interest regarding some winners of
the British Fantasy Awards, David Howe has resigned his position
as Chairman of the British Fantasy Society. Following the recent public allegations made regarding this year’s
British Fantasy Awards, The British Fantasy Society Committee would
like to state for the record that it is our firm belief that no
corruption or wrongdoing took place during the administration of
the British Fantasy Awards, and that in this respect all awards
should still stand as presented. We confirm that the summation of
the votes cast was performed electronically and once the results
were checked they were confirmed and verified by another member
of the committee. BFS The Crime Writers’ Association has announced the shortlist for this year’s prestigious Ellis Peters Historical Award. The six books on the shortlist are: CWA chair Peter James said: “Historical fiction remains as popular as ever and has seen the creation of some of crime writing’s most enduring characters. This year’s books continue that fine tradition.“ A self-styled superhero known as Phoenix Jones has been unmasked in a Seattle court as he waits to see if he is charged with a pepper spray attack. Police say Phoenix Jones - real name Benjamin Fodor - attacked four people who had left a Seattle nightclub. The 23-year-old, who leads the Rain City Superhero Movement, said he was trying to break up a fight. The clubgoers insisted to police they were not fighting. As the court hearing ended, he tore off a dress shirt to reveal his black and yellow superhero costume. BBC story
The Pursued - a crime novel written in 1935 by Horatio Hornblower creator CS Forester that was thought lost - is to be published for the first time. It was lost after the English author decided not to publish it so he could concentrate on a follow-up to the first Hornblower novel, The Happy Return. But a copy of the text surfaced at an auction in London in 2003 when it was bought by enthusiasts. BBC story Family Guy star Seth Green is working on an animated sitcom based on the Star Wars saga, according to the head of licensing at Lucasfilm. Howard Roffman said the series would premiere "within the next two years" but refused to be drawn on details. Taboo-busting animation Family Guy has already created three one-off specials based on the first Star Wars trilogy. Roffman added that inspiration had also been drawn from French And Saunders' spoof of The Phantom Menace. BBC story
Previously
unseen sketches and paintings by The Hobbit author JRR Tolkien are
to be published for the first time. The artworks,
which were not used when the novel was published in 1937, were recently
discovered in the Bodleian Library in Oxford. It includes ink sketches
and paintings. Next year marks The Hobbit's 75th anniversary. Director
Peter Jackson is making a two-part movie adaptation, the first part
of which is due out in 2012. BBC
story
The
Crime Writer's Association have announced that thier Debut Dagger
competition is now open Contestants have 13 weeks (until 21 January) to submit the first 3000 words of their crime novel. More information, including comprehensive advice and guidance, on the Debut Dagger pages of this website. CWA Bram
Stoker bore a startling resemblance to one of his most famous characters,
Jonathan Harker, the troubled solicitor at the centre
of the 1897 horror novel Dracula, according to previously unseen
notebooks belonging to the author. British publisher Biteback will
launch The Lost Journals of Bram Stoker next year. The notebooks
detail Stoker's time in Dublin in 1871 and 1881, and were recently
rediscovered in the attic of one of the writer's great-grandsons.
Independent
Ten leading crime writers are competing for the honour of having a new morgue at Dundee University named after them. Crime fiction fans can vote for their favourite author online - with each vote contributing £1 to the appeal. Dundee University has committed £1m to the project, but another £1m needs to be raised. The new morgue will adopt a "revolutionary" way of embalming - called the Thiel method - which keeps bodies flexible for longer. This gives medics and researchers a more realistic way of testing techniques and practising procedures, as well as developing new equipment and approaches. Authors taking part in the "Million for a Morgue" campaign are: Tess Gerritsen, Kathy Reichs, Lee Child, Harlan Coben, Mark Billingham, Jeffrey Deaver, Jeff Lindsay, Stuart MacBride, Peter James and Val McDermid. BBC story The
World Fantasy Awards winners were announced at this year’s
World Fantasy Convention, held October 27-30, in
San Diego CA. (Lifetime Achievement winners are announced in advance
of the event).
Nasa examines 'tractor beams' for sample gathering:- US space agency Nasa has funded a study of "tractor beams" to gather samples for analysis in future missions. The $100,000 (£63,000) award will be used to examine three laser-based approaches to do what has until now been the stuff of science fiction. Several tractor-beam ideas have been published in the scientific literature but none has yet been put to use. Nasa scientist Paul Stysley says the approach could "enhance science goals and reduce mission risk". "Though a mainstay in science fiction, and Star Trek in particular, laser-based trapping isn't fanciful or beyond current technological know-how," said Dr Stysley of Nasa's Goddard Space Flight Center, whose group was awarded the research funding. BBC story
A rhyming
picture book about pirate cats has won the Roald
Dahl Funny Prize, which honours humorous books for children. Cats
Ahoy!, written by Peter Bently and illustrated by Jim Field, was
named funniest book for children aged six and under. Liz Pichon's
The Brilliant World of Tom Gates also won the prize in the seven
to 14 age category. Both winners were presented with a £2,500
cash prize at a London ceremony.
BBC story
The travails at the BFS seem to be reaching a head. Acting chair Graham Joyce has announced an Extraordinary General Meeting of the British Fantasy Society to be held at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, December 9, 2011 at the Mug House near London Bridge. The meeting will consider a proposal to reorganize the BFS Awards and will elect new officers to the BFS Committee. BFS Author Andy Mulligan has won the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize for his novel Return To Ribblestrop, set in a dilapidated boarding school. The book is the second in a planned trilogy, and finds the school invaded by a truck load of circus animals. Judges said the story had "just the right combination of warmth, originality and, above all, hilarity to give it the edge". Mulligan describes his setting as "a magical place" but dismisses any comparisons to JK Rowling's Harry Potter. "Any elf would be stamped on and barbecued very quickly," he says. BBC story
Doctor Who 'to be made into Hollywood feature film' Cult BBC TV show Doctor Who is set to be made into a Hollywood movie, a leading director has said. David Yates, who directed the last four Harry Potter films, told Variety magazine he is working on developing a feature film with the BBC. He said the film would take a fresh approach to the show, which first appeared on TV in 1963. Yates said it would take "two to three years to get it right" as the show needs "quite a radical transformation". BBC story Director Ken Russell's controversial 1971 film The Devils is to be officially made available on DVD for the first time, it has been announced. The film, which contains sexual content and religious imagery, will be released in March by the British Film Institute's (BFI) video publishing arm. Starring Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave, the movie was cut before it could be given an adult 'X' rating. Film critic Mark Kermode has called it Russell's "most incendiary work". BBC story.
Scientists say they can now explain the existence of what are perhaps Earth's most extraordinary mountains. The Gamburtsevs are the size of the European Alps and yet they are totally buried beneath the Antarctic ice. Their discovery in the 1950s was a major surprise. Most people had assumed the rock bed deep within the continent would be flat and featureless. It is a story that starts just over a billion years ago, long before complex life had formed on the planet, when the then continents were drifting together to create a giant landmass known as Rodinia. The resulting collision pushed up the mountains, and also produced an underlying thick, dense "root" that sat down in the crust. Over the course of hundreds of millions of years, the peaks would have gradually eroded away. Only the cold root would have been preserved. Then, about 250-100 million years ago, when dinosaurs roamed the planet, the crust started to pull apart in a series of rifting events close to the old root. This rifting warmed and rejuvenated the root, giving it the buoyancy needed to lift the land upwards once more to re-establish the mountains. Further uplift still was achieved as deep valleys were later cut by rivers and by glaciers. And it would have been those glaciers that also wrote the final chapter some 35 million years ago, when they spread out and merged to form the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, entombing the Gamburtsevs in the process. One for the collective consciousness:- still struggling with this one Here's the old 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 Richard Gordon, film producer: born London 31 December 1925; died New York 1 November 2011. Exploitation cinema of the 1950s was infested by vampires, voodoo practitioners, ancient tribes revivified by their sacred territories being violated, and weird monsters caused by nuclear accidents or mad scientists meddling with nature. It was a producer's genre, as they insisted on low budgets, tight schedules and enough (or promises of enough) violence and nudity without unduly upsetting the censors. Meanwhile they devised bizarre, eye-catching marketing campaigns. Some of the most notable of these films were produced by Richard Gordon. Independent Department of Smug Self Satisfaction. 1. Dear Laraine & Simon : 2. Habe das Buch bereits am 13. Oktober (aus England !) erhalten. Es war überaus gut verpackt. Bei nächster Gelegenheit kaufe ich hier wieder. (Amazon de) 3. Delivered exactly as promised...book in condition described...will definitely look for items with this supplier again.. (Amazon Ca) 4. Prompt delivery. Securely Packaged. Neat little bookmark with all of their information should I want to buy anything else directly from them (Amazon US) 5. Excellent seller. Book in perfect condition and very fast delivery time. I would buy from them again without hesitation. A well deserved 10/10 (Amazon UK) Here's one for the SF/Horror/Thriller Crossover genre (if there is one) : apparently Tom Cruise has been cast as the hero in a film of one of the Jack Reacher books - playing a man described as 6'5" & heavily-built. It's a poor effort, & I'm sure one of your readers can do better, but will the character be renamed "Jack Cantreachathing"? Hugh Independent crossword 2nd Nov. Authors agent receiving a manuscript on time. (4,6) Mongrels "Shaun of the Dead"
Good luck to anyone and everyone raising money for Children in Need this Friday!
New arrivals for your delectation:-
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, 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, OotW 179, OotW180
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