Every year the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America vote on the year’s best literary and dramatic works of speculative fiction.

The winners will be announced at SFWA’s 47^th Annual Nebula Awards Weekend, to be held Thursday through Sunday, May 17 to May 20, 2012 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia, near Reagan National Airport. As announced earlier this year, Connie Willis will be the recipient of the 2011 Damon Knight Grand Master Award for her lifetime contributions and achievements in the field. Walter Jon Williams will preside as toastmaster, with Astronaut Michael Fincke as keynote speaker.

So without further adieu here are the nominees for the Nebula Wards, the Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation, and the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy Book.

Novel

• Among Others, Jo Walton (Tor)
• Embassytown, China Miéville (Macmillan UK; Del Rey; Subterranean Press)
• Firebird, Jack McDevitt (Ace Books)
• God’s War, Kameron Hurley (Night Shade Books)
• Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti, Genevieve Valentine (Prime Books)
• The Kingdom of Gods, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit US; Orbit UK)

Novella

• “Kiss Me Twice,” Mary Robinette Kowal (Asimov’s Science Fiction, June 2011)
• “Silently and Very Fast,” Catherynne M. Valente (WSFA Press; Clarkesworld Magazine, October 2011)
• “The Ice Owl,” Carolyn Ives Gilman (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, November/December 2011)
• “The Man Who Bridged the Mist,” Kij Johnson (Asimov’s Science Fiction, October/November 2011)
• “The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary,” Ken Liu (Panverse Three, Panverse Publishing)
• “With Unclean Hands,” Adam-Troy Castro (Analog Science Fiction and Fact, November 2011)

Novelette

• “Fields of Gold,” Rachel Swirsky (Eclipse 4, Night Shade Books)
• “Ray of Light,” Brad R. Torgersen (Analog Science Fiction and Fact, December 2011)
• “Sauerkraut Station,” Ferrett Steinmetz (Giganotosaurus, November 2011)
• “Six Months, Three Days,” Charlie Jane Anders (Tor.com, June 2011)
• “The Migratory Pattern of Dancers,” Katherine Sparrow (Giganotosaurus, July 2011)
• “The Old Equations,” Jake Kerr (Lightspeed Magazine, July 2011)
• “What We Found,” Geoff Ryman (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, September/October 2011)

Short Story

• “Her Husband’s Hands,” Adam-Troy Castro (Lightspeed Magazine, October 2011)
• “Mama, We are Zhenya, Your Son,” Tom Crosshill (Lightspeed Magazine, April 2011)
• “Movement,” Nancy Fulda (Asimov’s Science Fiction, March 2011)
• “Shipbirth,” Aliette de Bodard (Asimov’s Science Fiction, February 2011)
• “The Axiom of Choice,” David W. Goldman (New Haven Review, Winter 2011)
• “The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees,” E. Lily Yu (Clarkesworld Magazine, April 2011)
• “The Paper Menagerie,” Ken Liu (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, March/April 2011)

Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation

• Attack the Block, Joe Cornish (writer/director) (Optimum Releasing; Screen Gems)
• Captain America: The First Avenger, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely (writers), Joe Johnston (director) (Paramount)
• Doctor Who: “The Doctor’s Wife,” Neil Gaiman (writer), Richard Clark (director) (BBC Wales)
• Hugo, John Logan (writer), Martin Scorsese (director) (Paramount)
• Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen (writer/director) (Sony)
• Source Code, Ben Ripley (writer), Duncan Jones (director) (Summit)
• The Adjustment Bureau, George Nolfi (writer/director) (Universal)

 Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy Book

• Akata Witch, Nnedi Okorafor (Viking Juvenile)
• Chime, Franny Billingsley (Dial Books; Bloomsbury)
• Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Laini Taylor (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Hodder & Stoughton)
• Everybody Sees the Ants, A.S. King (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
• The Boy at the End of the World, Greg van Eekhout (Bloomsbury Children’s Books)
• The Freedom Maze, Delia Sherman (Big Mouth House)
• The Girl of Fire and Thorns, Rae Carson (Greenwillow Books)
• Ultraviolet, R.J. Anderson (Orchard Books; Carolrhoda Lab)

Just my 2 cents, but Attack the Block?  Seriously how did that make it onto the list?

Follow Us on Twitter @SciFiFX
Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/scififx

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Here is the second in Big Dog and Troy’s series of reviews for George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire – Book Two: A Clash Of Kings.

Synopsis:

A comet the color of blood and flame cuts across the sky. Two great leaders—Lord Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon—who hold sway over an age of enforced peace are dead, victims of royal treachery. Now, from the ancient citadel of Dragonstone to the forbidding shores of Winterfell, chaos reigns. Six factions struggle for control of a divided land and the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms, preparing to stake their claims through tempest, turmoil, and war.

It is a tale in which brother plots against brother and the dead rise to walk in the night. Here a princess masquerades as an orphan boy; a knight of the mind prepares a poison for a treacherous sorceress; and wild men descend from the Mountains of the Moon to ravage the countryside. Against a backdrop of incest and fratricide, alchemy and murder, victory may go to the men and women possessed of the coldest steel…and the coldest hearts. For when kings clash, the whole land trembles.

Follow Us on Twitter @SciFiFX
Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/scififx
Follow The Fellowship of the Geeks on Twitter @FellowshipGeeks
Follow TrooperTrek on Twitter @TrooperTrek

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

E-mail: Podcast@SciFiFX.com

Voice Mail: (313)437-2434

Follow Us on Twitter @SciFiFX
Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/scififx
Follow The Fellowship of the Geeks on Twitter @FellowshipGeeks
Follow TrooperTrek on Twitter @TrooperTrek

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

ITV Studios America and HDFILMS announced plans for a reimagining of the classic 1970s Space 1999.  The remake series will be called Space 2099.  The show is still in the development phase and has not been shopped to the networks yet.

HDFILMS president Jace Hall said:

“Science fiction is a powerful format capable of visualizing the human condition in thought-provoking ways,”

Hall, who recently revived V for ABC,  will spearhead the the series as well as executive produce.

Hall:

“While we are indeed re-imagining the franchise and bringing something new and relevant to today’s audiences,” “I feel strongly that some of the overall tones set by the original Space: 1999 television show represent an exciting platform to explore possibilities.”

ITV Studios International Managing Director Paul Buccieri:

“After more than 35 years, we are thrilled to be developing a new vision of our much beloved franchise for audiences worldwide. Historically, the Space: 1999 brand has entertained and fascinated millions of people.”

To be honest I’m not sure how I feel about this.  Space 1999 could certainly benefit from the special effects and production values of today, but its very rare that a modern remake/reboot/retooling/reimagining actually works.  They usually change something that was integral to the success of the original, to “make it appeal to a modern audience”, which generally translates to “Put lots of explosions and love triangles in, Oh and don’t make the audience think too much”.

Rant Mode On:

There are two levels of TV shows produced today.  Shows like Doctor Who, Supernatural, or Game of Thrones that I watch.  Then there are shows like V (the remake), BSG (the remake), Once Upon a Time, Sanctuary, or Terra Nova that I watch with my laptop in front of me checking twitter/e-mail/reading news, or posting articles/Facebook entries.  My point being the second type I can watch while doing other things and still not miss anything plot wise, which tells me there is a lot of padding or unimportant story.  The first type requires me to think about the storylines, and are a much more enjoyable viewing experience.

Rant More Off: 

I also question the decision to put the guy who was in charge of the V remake, you know the one that flopped after 2 half seasons, in charge of this new remake.

That said I will most definetly check out Space 2099 when it first airs to see if they somehow manage to rebottle the magic of the original, but I won’t be holding my breath.

Follow Us on Twitter @SciFiFX
Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/scififx

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

George Lucas is on record as saying that he was pushed into the idea of 3D by his fellow filmmakers such as Robert Zemeckis and James Cameron.  Originally he had no interest, but as the technology pushed forward, he changed his mind.  Pushing forward the technology and the cinematic experience is the hallmark that Lucas has built his life around.  The one thing he seems to believe is that, for better or worse, 3D is here to stay this time around.

Most everyone by now has either seen movies not originally filmed in 3D that have been upscaled badly, or else they have heard the endless complaints by those who have.  Either way, the reviews haven’t been pretty.  This is the technology that Lucas sought to improve with his conversion of The Phantom Menace.  The mission: to improve the visuals while keeping the conversion process cost effective.

Everyone’s got a take on 3D, so I suppose I should start out with mine.  I’m a tough sell when it comes to such things.  My experience with 3D is limited.  My eyes tend to focus at two different speeds, which means that the faster the action, the harder it is to focus, and the more of a migraine I get.  I typically have very little problem with slower shots, but the illusion is broken for me when things come out of the screen and inexplicably disappear when something hits the screen’s border.  It takes me out of the movie to notice these things float in front of me and then vanish.

How then did Phantom Menace stack up?

As much as I would love nothing better than to give Lucas and his team an enthusiastic two thumbs up, I can’t quite do it this time.  Sad to say, I think the conversion was only mildly successful, and how good or bad it was really depended on the individual screen shots.

The one thing Phantom Menace has going for it, this is the most beautiful of the films in terms of lush scenery, be it incredible on-location shoots or the digitally-projected stages.  The establishing shots of these locations are nothing short of breathtaking, and the detail… wow.  I particularly enjoyed the establishing shots of Theed, Coruscant, and the Gungan’s underwater city.  On the long range shots, the clarity is such that it’s easy to make out facial expressions on Gungans in the rear of the army, petals on flowers, and carbon scoring on blasted battle droids and ships.  On the close-ups, textures of skin, fabrics, hair all pop in a way that even blu-ray doesn’t provide.  Digital characters like the new-and-improved Yoda, Jar Jar, and Watto all feel even more real.  In the case of Jar Jar, he actually seems too real in places, making his real life co-stars look a little fake by comparison.  When the digital characters weren’t on screen, the actors and droids came to life as though looking through a window.  I was stunned by the details of servos inside the incomplete C-3PO, and I noticed markings on R2-D2 that I’d never noticed before.  The holoprojectors were an interesting effect in 3D.  The lightsaber combat and cockpits shots of podracers and starfighters were nothing short of amazing.  If Darth Maul can look like that in 3D, I can’t wait to see if Darth Vader can match him… provided this sells well enough for Lucas to justify re-releasing more of the saga.

The thing about the slower shots, however, is that when you know the movie as well as I do, it’s really easy to focus entirely on the 3D experience, and in some shots that’s bad.  There were shots so real you could touch them or feel like you could look around characters at the props behind them; but for every shot like this, there were some that were flat as a board, and others that were clearly layered like cardboard cutouts.  If you’ve ever owned an old View Master toy, it looked a lot like that in spots.

And of course, the name of the game in Star Wars is high-speed action.  Again, some shots worked, some not so much.  My eyes still had a little trouble focusing on some of it, but to credit, it wasn’t nearly as bad as it has been in previous movies I’d seen.  Clearly the technology has improved in the master’s hands, but it’s also still developing.  That’s the best argument I know for having further saga releases.  By the time Lucas gets to the original trilogy, the process should be well and truly perfected.  Yes, I’m expectant of such things, based on the Lucasfilm track record.

On the whole, as a Star Wars fan, I think there were scenes that added to my experience of the universe.  I will never forget the majesty and impact some of these individual shots had on me for as long as I live.  I think the ticket was money well spent for me in terms of developing a new appreciation for the scale of many locations and details that have gone unnoticed or underappreciated for the past 13 years.  As a holistic experience of the 3D conversion process, however, I have to give it a C+ simply because for every really incredible looking shot, there was an ineffective one.  I know that the conversion team, and Lucas himself, are proud of their efforts, and they should be, but I also know they aren’t resting on any laurels.  I’m certain they’re aware of the challenges they face to continue the improvement process, and I look forward to seeing their results if the will of the Force – and the fans – drives up ticket sales enough to justify a release of Attack of the Clones.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Follow Us on Twitter @SciFiFX
Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/scififx

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Happy 80th, John Williams!  Here’s to many more.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

E-mail: Podcast@SciFiFX.com

Voice Mail: (313)437-2434

Follow Us on Twitter @SciFiFX
Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/scififx
Follow The Fellowship of the Geeks on Twitter @FellowshipGeeks
Follow TrooperTrek on Twitter @TrooperTrek

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Today I finished reading the fifth and latest book in A Song of Ice and Fire series: A Dance with Dragons.

If you have listened to the podcast, whether the regular or the special we put out on A Game of Thrones, you know full well how I feel about this series. If you haven’t read these books, I believe wholeheartedly that you should. What you are missing here is something that you can’t get from most TV shows or movies these days; a serious attention to detail and a story that never fails to deliver on its promises. That, of course, is my opinion. If you disagree, take it with a grain of salt.

Let me start off, for the 3 people that may not know this, by saying how I came to this series. Last year, HBO put out the television series and Troy was climbing up the walls about it. He was genuinely excited about the prospect of seeing this story put to camera, and he’d heard a lot of chatter about how right they were making this one. I nodded and there was some interest at first, which the more I thought on it dwindled to barely anything. I like fantasy stuff, but I’m not the biggest fan you’ll find of it. Most people seem to regurgitate the same stuff over and over again. It’s Lord of the Rings and D&D knock-offs (before we start, I know D&D spun out from fans of Lord of the Rings wanting to play in a similar universe, so don’t start on that!) The point of what I’m getting at is that for all the imitators out there, A Song of Ice and Fire is an entire different animal. The problem I found in my head with that animal is that I didn’t want to deal with all the political crap. Whenever it was talked about, the political variances of the Lannisters vs. the Starks got put to the forefront. I don’t much deal in politics. Most politicians move their mouths and I call liar most every time. So a series bogged down in that mire wasn’t my idea of a good time.

As goes with things the man enjoys, Troy would not back down on this one. He sat me down and told me to watch the first episode, so I did. With most things like this, I was fairly certain enjoying it was out the window. Bad pun, for those who know the series. I was pretty much set in mind that this was West Wing with swords. Instead what I got was Sean Bean, Mark Addy & Lena Headey in roles I had never seen them in before. Peter Dinklage was an inspired actor playing an even more interesting character. He’s the guy you know you shouldn’t like, but do because you can’t help it. If you don’t know the names, IMdb will help.

Lena Heady – http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0372176/
Sean Bean – http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000293/
Mark Addy – http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004692/
Peter Dinklage – http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0227759/

These aren’t all the great characters you’ll find in the show, and certainly not all the well-known actors. Still, I think you should prowl around a bit of Game of Thrones and see who all else is there. Maybe even watch the show. Regardless, take it under advisement: THIS IS NOT FOR CHILDREN! It’s on HBO for a reason. I’ve said this before, and I’ll continue to say it, because people tend not to listen for some reason. That’s a topic for another editorial or show.

In any case, I plowed through the 10 episodes and knew what Troy had been talking about. It was a pretty great TV series, but as with all things I wanted to see how it differed from the book. I got a real taste of that on the Mists of Avalon. Marion Zimmer Bradley’s tome and the movie on TNT varied a great deal. So, I had obvious apprehension. Especially considering the weightiness of the books that George R.R. Martin put forth. I shouldn’t have feared about a thing. The book and the series was followed with some changes, but it was so close that it matched dialogue for dialogue. Within a month of buying the book, I was back in the store buying A Clash of Kings, a month after that I had a A Storm of Swords. It went like that up to this last book, which took far longer to read than a month. Knowing full well that The Winds of Winter might be some time in the offing, I took this one slowly. Some people said I was likely to devour it after the slight disappointment of A Feast for Crows, the fourth book in the series. Such wasn’t the case, because Crows was actually my favorite of the series. Also, by measure of the fact that I didn’t have to wait the many years to get A Dance with Dragons, I didn’t have so long in-between characters I hadn’t gotten in the former book. As it was put to me, Crows and Dragons was written as one book and split into two. Dragons had a great deal more that needed to be finished for it, so it took a while. Not to mention GRRM was sick at one point and other projects kept him busy. Nonetheless, the idea that Crows and Dragons was one book made two let me digest it a lot easier. That, and the fact I was reading through all 5 at once vs. what I’m doing now; waiting for the next one.

A Dance with Dragons fills in every character that A Feast for Crows didn’t. While Crows showed us where one story was starting to wind down, it also ramped up something new. Big things were on the horizon and a lot of important people had their eyes towards the same location. No spoilers as to what or where. In Dragons, the book starts out where Crows began, filling out what happened with the major characters since we had last seen them. As big a book as this is, and as massive as the series overall has been, I was wondering how he could continue without floundering around. I started to wonder if some characters would have a point in being there at all. I slap myself in the head for thinking otherwise. Even though there are times where chapters don’t have as big a revelation on something than others, there’s devils in those details that play big into oncoming things. The 959 page hard back was filled with so much details, it made me wonder where it was going to end and how much it would leave for the next to answer. It gave me plenty of excitement to wait for, but it also gave me what I’ve been waiting four books to see. Read or listen to it, and you’ll understand. As per the usual, when you think you’ve had enough of the politics, it’s anticipated and a fight breaks out. Many characters have things to answer for and they get to in sometimes the most brutal of fashions. As ever, the seasons play a heavy toll on these people. You are never let to forget that it’s not just the people that kill, but the very land and weather itself.

I want to give an in-depth review of this right now, but I feel it would ruin it for so many others. There’s so much to mention, but some people are just getting started on the series and I want to give them a chance to catch up. Troy and I are planning to do a podcast for each book, and that should help to give all of you the chance to hear the full glory of it. I recommend having read it first, but if you want to know what you’re getting into then listen in! Today, I write this out of love inspired by what I’ve read to encourage others to read and join in listening (even responding!) to our podcast reviews on them. I don’t beat the drum hard enough on some shows or books. Some of my co-workers may disagree. This one, no matter who believes what, I put on that pedestal of greats.

As I put on my personal Facebook page: I patiently await the next book. I am so excited about it, I can’t tell you. I plowed through the last 140 pages because I couldn’t help it any longer. GRRM need not hasten his pace, because I fear writing something overly fast would only serve to make ruin to this story. He’s found his rhythm on it, and that’s fine for me. I’d rather wait the length and have him pleased then to rush him. Fans should do that for worthwhile creators.

This story came to me last year in the midst of so much bad. I needed the escapism and it served its purpose far better than I could have ever thought a series could. I hadn’t read anything this voraciously since Tarzan. Even at that, these were far larger books than what I got there. Mind you, there are a lot Tarzan books I have yet to read. Still, even the ape man himself couldn’t have inspired me to read this as quickly as I have now. Jon Snow, Dany and her dragons, Ned Stark, Tyrion Lannister… the list goes on of great characters. They drew me back to Westeros as often as I could spare the time to get there. Thank you, Mr. Martin. Thank you, and much love to the lot of wonderful characters until we find ourselves back in King’s Landing or the host of other exotic and wondrous locations.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites