Out of the Woodwork 158. November 2009
Fantastic Literature - setting the standards for out of print on-line bookselling.

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. We hope to be listing on Amazon Jp shortly.

In this newsletter:

World Fantasy Awards for 2009 - announced at the World Fantasy Convention
Fay Shayol's Continuum Game - why not try this out - can you suggest any others or guess Fay's second selection.
A Knight of Horror - arise Sir Christopher Lee
Crime Writer's Association Golden Daggers - awarded at a swanky do on October 27th
Andre Heeger - news from the German author of fantasy
Louise Cooper dies - reported by British Fantasy Society - plus other obits
Asterix has turned 50 - on October 29th
A collosal fossil sea monster is found in Dorest - you wouldn't want to swim with this baby!
Mickey Zucker Reichert is to pen posthumous Asimov novels based on Susan Calvin.
One for the collective consciousness - solved by you all - many thanks and yet another to ponder!
Robbie Coltrane - on the end of Harry Potter
New Doctor Who - simply the best!
New flying fossil reptiles - found in China cast new light on evolutionary process.
Twilight Fans gather in Northampton. "There are not many men - disappointingly!"
Lovely Bones - set for Royal Film Performance, a novel we really loved here at Fantastic HQ
David Tennant on his last Doctor Who - stiff upper lip time!
Department of Smug Self Satisfaction - a smug look at kind comments from our customers around the world
The "I don't really know what to say spot! or is the customer always right?
Archive

OotW Blinks:

James Sallis interview - BSCreview
EReaders - Daily Mail puts them to the test
BBC - Weird science special, teleportation, time travel, antimatter and wireless electricity
Mark Kermode - why we can't resist vampires
Madeline Smith - on the glamour of Hammer Horror
Peter Straub - on how to scare readers - Salon
Margaret Atwood's "Year of the Flood" - reviewed by Paul Di Filippo (B&N)
Sherlock Holmes -Tthe Independent's appraisal of the master sleuth
William Shatner - unveils his waxworks double - no pun intended.
Kim Stanley Robinson interviewed by Terry Bisson
Stephen King's "Under the Dome" reviewed by the New York Times (I started reading it on Wednesday, it's a cracker! - grabs you right from the start, a typical King page turner!)
Old books' smell can reveal their condition - scientists in London have developed a sniffer to detect damage!

World Fantasy Awards for 2009

Here are the award winners.

Lifetime Achievement: Ellen Asher & Jane Yolen
Best Novel (tie): The Shadow Year, Jeffrey Ford (Morrow) & Tender Morsels, Margo Lanagan (Allen & Unwin; Knopf)
Best Novella: “If Angels Fight”, Richard Bowes (F&SF 2/08)
Best Short Story: “26 Monkeys, Also the Abyss”, Kij Johnson (Asimov’s 7/08)
Best Anthology: Paper Cities: An Anthology of Urban Fantasy, Ekaterina Sedia, ed. (Senses Five Press)
Best Collection: The Drowned Life, Jeffrey Ford (HarperPerennial)
Best Artist: Shaun Tan
Special Award – Professional: Kelly Link & Gavin J. Grant (for Small Beer Press and Big Mouth House)
Special Award – Non-Professional: Michael Walsh (for Howard Waldrop collections from Old Earth Books)
The judges for 2009 were: Jenny Blackford, Peter Heck, Ellen Klages, Chris Roberson & Delia Sherman. WFC

How about playing Fay's Continuum Game:

Hi Simon,

Love your newsletter, I always read every word.

Wonder if anyone is interested in trying my SF Continuum . . .

Have all these ingredients ready to hand and some spare time.
John Varley's short story 'Air Raid' 1977 (first published in Asimov's Magazine under the pseudonym Herb Boehm) The novel 'Millennium' by John Varley 1985 The 1989 film of 'Millennium' starring Kris Kristofferson and Cheryl Ladd.

First read the story 'Air Raid' and then the novelisation 'Millennium', which is an expanded version of the story with many alterations. Then watch the film, which is based on the novel but has a different ending. If this is done within the space of a couple of days they all blend together into one fantastic story with many dimensions.

If you like this idea I have another favourite, which links 3 stories by different authors and 1 tv episode. (You won't guess!) - but you can if you want - email us

All the best,
Fay

A Knight of Horror. Dracula actor Christopher Lee has been knighted by the Prince of Wales in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace. Best known for his performances opposite Peter Cushing in the Hammer Horror movies, Sir Christopher has featured in 250 productions. He was honoured for services to drama and to charity. BBC story and picture

The Crime Writers’ Association is pleased to announce that:
William Brodrick wins the CWA Gold Dagger for A Whispered Name
John Hart wins the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for The Last Child
Johan Theorin wins the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger for Echoes from The Dead.
Philip Kerr wins the Ellis Peters Historical Award for If The Dead Rise Not.

These announcements were one of the highlights of the first Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards 2009. The evening boasted an array of famous faces from the worlds of screen and books, and was hosted by comedian Alan Davies. Sadly our invitation got lost in the postal industrial action, C'est la vie!. CWA

Andre Heeger - news from Germany. One of our colleagues from Germany, Andre Heeger, contacted us as his story is being considered by two UK agents and a US agent as I type. Here's the link to the story - what do you think?

Here's the link to my fantastic story www.psychicrabbit.com click on " read the book", then you'll have it, one chapter at a time.

As I said, it's not serious, more like the funny episodes of The X- Files mixed with a dose of South Park humor.
Since I wrote it three years ago I might change things here and there now but it's still o.k. as it is.

The new one is a Roman adventure story. As I said, it's being considered by 2 UK agents and one US one.

Best wishes

André.

Louise Cooper died on October 21st. British Fantasy Society broke the sad news:

"We are very sad to report the death of Louise Cooper at the age of 57. Louise wrote over 50 novels, delighting fantasy readers of all ages, and in 1999 was a Guest of Honour at our convention, FantasyCon. In 2000 the BFS produced a collection of her short stories, The Spiral Garden. Jan Edwards, who edited the book, described her today as a "lovely lady", and said that she was devastated by the news". Locus reports that Luoise died of a brian aneurysm at home in Cornwall on October 21st. BFS

Artist Dean Ellis, 88, died October 12, 2009 at home in Saratoga Springs, New York. He moved to New York in 1956, and created covers for Ray Bradbury novels in the 1960s, which led to jobs painting cover art for many of the SF publishers at the time.

Artist Don Ivan Punchatz, 73, died of a heart attack in Arlington, Texas, on October 22, 2009. He created the cover art for the Avon editions of Isaac Asimov's Foundation novels and Philip José Farmer's Riverworld books in the 1970s.

Producer and director Barry Letts was indelibly associated with three of the most fondly remembered incarnations of Doctor Who. Letts began his career as an actor, appearing in a number of TV dramas in the 50s and 60s, before switching to work as a director. He oversaw his first Doctor Who episode in 1967. Barry died in last October.

Asterix turned 50 on October 29th: A map of France is cracked by a Roman standard driven into the ground. To one side a magnifying glass focuses on a “Gaulish village” surrounded by four Roman outposts: Aquarium, Totorum, Laudanum and Compendium. Who would have thought – given such adverse circumstances – that one of that village’s most famous denizens, namely, Asterix the Gaul, would live to reach the grand old age of 50? Full Independent story and BBC

The fossilised skull of a colossal "sea monster" has been unearthed along the UK's Jurassic Coast. The ferocious predator, which is called a pliosaur, terrorised the oceans 150 million years ago. The skull is 2.4m long, and experts say it could belong to one of the largest pliosaurs ever found: measuring up to 16m in length. The fossil, which was found by a local collector, has been purchased by Dorset County Council.

Guardian reports that Mickey Zucker Reichert is to publish posthumous Asimov novels: Publishing's enthusiasm for the undead – which has already this autumn seen posthumous sequels published to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Dracula, Winnie the Pooh and Noddy – is set to bring one of Isaac Asimov's most enduring creations, Dr Susan Calvin, back to life. A new series of authorised sequels to Asimov's I, Robot books, which introduced the cynical, workaholic "robopsychologist", is to be penned by the fantasy author Mickey Zucker Reichert. Full Guardian story

One for the collective consciousness:-

There was a story in an anthology, years ago, about 2 blokes landin on a planet that was all needle-like mountains but they found one with a sort of giant warehouse around the top full of stuff like a filler that started filling up the whole place and a universal drink that turned out to be a univ. drinker etc etc!! ring any bells?

Dave Langford was onto this one like a rocket :-

Robert Sheckley's "One Man's Poison" from =Galaxy= (December 1953), and renamed as the title story of his 1954 collection =Untouched by Human Hands=.

best: Dave

Denis Lien wasn't far behind:

Pretty sure this is an early 1950s Robert Sheckley story, from one of his first two collections (UNTOUCHED BY HUMAN HANDS or CITIZEN IN SPACE), but I'm blanking on the title of the story itself.

I recall the mistranslation on the container of the liquid -- the explorers read it as "Everybody drinks [name of product]" but the real translation turns out to be "[name of product] drinks everybody."

And a little googling suggests it was indeed the title story in "Untouched by Human Hands," which had previously appeared as "One Man's Poison" in the December 1953 GALAXY, and which was first anthologized in a non-Sheckley collection in GATES TO TOMORROW ed. Norton & Donaldy (1973).

Dennis Lien

and so was Marise:

Hi
I spotted a query just briefly when I was looking for something else in Out of the Woodwork, and I wanted to go back and read it more thoroughly before giving this answer, but I just can't find it again! (My ISP is being silly today.) The question concerned two blokes in an alien warehouse. I'm 99% certain this is "Untouched by Human Hand" by Robert Sheckley, from the anthology of the same name. A very old anthology, late 50's early 60's.
Byeee!
Marise

And Ed responded: Thanks for that, I think I've got that Galaxy, I'll have to check! Ed

OK - how about this one?

Hi Simon,

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!

Thanks in advance,
Tim

Robbie Coltrane on the end of Harry Potter. Robbie Coltrane has told how he is dreading the end of filming the final Harry Potter movie. Coltrane, who plays Hagrid, believes the last days of filming Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be as hard on the adult cast as the younger ones. He told the Radio Times: "We were all going - 'Yeah, it's gonna be tough on the kids...'"Then eventually we were all saying 'Yeah, it's gonna be pretty tough for me too'."

New Doctor Who - simply the best. New Doctor Matt Smith is simply "the best", according to Steven Moffat, head writer of the 2010 series of Dr Who. Smith, who is the 11th actor to play the Time Lord on TV, will take over from David Tennant in the lead role of the long-running show next year. BBC story

New Flying reptile fossils found in China. Researchers in China and the UK say they have discovered the fossils of a new type flying reptile that lived over 160 million years ago. The find is named Darwinopterus, after famous naturalist Charles Darwin. Experts say it provides the first clear evidence of a controversial type of evolution called modular evolution. The 20 new fossils found in the north-east of the country show similarities to both primitive and more advanced pterosaurs, or flying reptiles. BBC story

Twilight Convention in Northampton. With the Twilight: New Moon film out later this month, fans are eager for another dose of romance and vampires. But what makes 800 devotees gather at a hotel over three days to worship the stars of Stephenie Meyer's hit franchise? Some fans of the franchise have been labelled Twi-Hards "My husband is a Twlight widow. He thinks I'm bonkers," says Odette, from Milton Keynes Full BBC story and video

Lovely Bones set for Royal gala

Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson's new movie The Lovely Bones has been chosen for this year's Royal Film Performance. Jackson said he is "honoured" it has been selected, adding its making has been "an extraordinary journey". The world charity gala is due to take place in late November in London's Leicester Square

David Tennant said he had to keep a "stiff upper lip" while filming his final scenes for Doctor Who. "It was very emotional saying cheerio," Tennant said after a screening of latest adventure The Waters of Mars, to be shown on BBC One today. "There's lots of scenes in the final episode that are very sad, and were very sad to play." He added: "On the actual final day I was a bit of a puddle, but kept a mildly stiff upper lip." BBC story

Department of smug self-satisfaction

a) Dear Simon and Laraine,

Thank you for the book that arrived this morning (Sister Night by F. P. Wilson).
A fine copy indeed.

regards,

Johan F.'

b) I am completely floored by your prompt shipping and incredible packaging for this book. I have never been so impressed - in fact, I have never packaged so well, something that I have given as a gift myself. I am in awe. You guys are truly fantastic. Abhijit

c) Hello My book arrived well packed and promptley, a very good service Many Thanks.

Kind Regards

Alan Wyborn

d) Literature Fantastic a fait preuve à mon égard,suite à un léger litige,d'un remarquable fair-play (tout britannique !)et d'une exceptionnelle amabilité. Je recommande très vivement ce vendeur,que je ne connaissais pas,mais avec lequel je souhaite traiter souvent encore,et le remercie vivement. A recommander +++++++++++

The" I don't really know what to say spot!" - the customers book had sold we sent them a polite e-mail informing them of the situation, refunding him in full and this is what we got back:-

Dear Simon

The book I wanted was one in a series, It's a problem for me, that I have to get this book first before the rest of the books you have sent me, and that I have already paid for..

this means that I have to order this book from another place, and pay postage for that book, which will make it somewhat more espensive for me.

I find this to be your responsebility, and would like to hear, what you can do to resolve this situation

best regards
Jacob

(so what would you do - answers on a postcard.......)

and how about this one! A genuine Amazon UK response!

05/11/2009 4 i dont leave comments RESPOND Yes Yes - 203-8934229-5254761 A FOWLER Buyer

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.

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