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The Replacements

May 6, 2016 at 2:44 pm
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MidAmericon II has finally announced the replacements for the two Hugo nominees who withdrew from the ballot as originally announced.

Replacing BLACK GATE in Best Fanzine is LADY BUSINESS, which can be found here http://ladybusiness.dreamwidth.org/

Replacing “The Commuter” by Thomas Mays in Short Story is “Cat Pictures Please” by Naomi Kritzer, which was originally published in CLARKESWORLD http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/kritzer_01_15/

I am not familiar with either of the new nominees… but since they were not part of any slate, I think both of them are likely to be strong contenders. I look forward to checking them out.

(As I said in a previous post, sixth place has never been so important).

((Though I am curious as to whether these two new finalists were indeed sixth. It seemed to take MAC a rather long time to announce the replacements after the withdrawal, something that could presumably be accomplished in minutes just by looking at the list and seeing who was next up — unless, perhaps, there were other withdrawals along the way? We’ll find out come August)).

Short Story and Fanzine were two categories where the Rabid Puppies had swept the field, top to bottom. Accordingly, they were also two categories that I had earmarked as being in need of Alfies. But the withdrawals and replacements broke the Rabid stranglehold, leaving me with a decision to make — do I still present Alfies in those categories, or no?

I am going to need to ponder that for a while.

Jean Cocteau Cinema Presents: Stephen Chow’s “The Mermaid” #GRRMinion

May 4, 2016 at 5:02 pm
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Another post from Ogre Jenni—hope you kids don't mind. I work at George's cinema in Santa Fe—what a lucky ogre I am!

Beginning this Friday, Jean Cocteau Cinema will proudly screen The Mermaid (Mei Ren Yu), the latest film by Stephen Chow. Chow is the Chinese filmmaker (and talented martial artist) responsible for Shaolin Soccer (2001) and Kung Fu Hustle (2004). Chow brilliantly parodies absurd action and kung fu movie tropes, and he is well known for his over-the-top martial arts sequences, bizarre circumstantial comedy, and quirky characters.


Who doesn’t love the surly chain-smoking landlady from Kung Fu Hustle?


And who won't love the half-octopus mer-uncle sushi chef in The Mermaid?

David Ehrlich from Slate says of Chow's latest film, “…it's demented. Great. And a hit." He also adds that, "…Chow, without overlooking his hometown crowd, directs with a primal wit that appeals to all audiences with the immediacy of silent cinema.” Read his full review here!

MORE ABOUT THE FILM:

Xuan's estate project involving reclamation of the sea threatens the livelihood of the mermaids who rely on the sea to survive. A mermaid named Shan is dispatched to assassinate Xuan, but this inevitably leads to a complicated, interspecies, office romance. Out of his love for Shan, Xuan plans to stop the reclamation. Unfortunately, Shan and the other mermaids are hunted by a hidden organisatio, and Xuan has to save Shan before it's too late.

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See you at the Cocteau!

–THIS MESSAGE WAS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE MINIONS AT FEVRE RIVER—

Awards, Awards

May 3, 2016 at 6:34 pm
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The Hugo Awards may be the best-known and most prestigious awards for science fiction and fantasy, but they’re not the only ones. With the controversies about this year’s ballot raging on every side, we risk losing sight of the some other awards.

Such as the Locus Awards. Locus just announced the shortlist for those, which you can find here:http://www.locusmag.com/News/2016/05/2016-locus-awards-finalists/

I’m delighted to see that OLD VENUS is one of the finalists in Best Anthology, and that one of the stories therein, Elizabeth Bear’s “The Heart’s Filthy Lesson,” is a nominee in Best Novelette. Congratulations, Elizabeth! Oh, and Gardner Dozois was nominated as Best Editor. Congratulations, Gargy. Congratulations, Venus. Congratulations, me!

(OLD VENUS and OLD MARS both done very well, both critically and commercially. That’s very gratifying. If I ever find some spare time, Gardner and I need to do some more of those. OLD URANUS, anyone?)

The Locus Awards winners will be announced in Seattle, June 24 to 26.

Well before that, we will learn the winner of this year’s Nebula Awards. The Nebula Banquet is going to be in Chicago next weekend, May 14. My friend John Hodgman will be the master of ceremonies. You can still get a ticket, I think. Check it out: http://www.sfwa.org/nebula-awards/2016-nebula-conference/

Oh, and I’ve also been informed that the Spanish language edition of THE WORLD OF ICE & FIRE, the massive “fake history” book I did with Elio Garcia and Linda Antonnson, has been nominated for the Ignotus Award, one of the biggest SF/ awards prizes in Spain.

The full list of nominees is here: http://www.aefcft.com/nominaciones-a-los-premios-ignotus-2016/

Win or lose, as always, it is an honor just to be nominated.

Jean Cocteau Cinema Presents Stephen Graham Jones #GRRMinion

May 1, 2016 at 8:59 pm
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Is it another post from Ogre Jenni instead of the famous George R.R. Martin? Why, yes! Yes, it is! I’m here to tell you about an exciting author event coming up at the Jean Cocteau Cinema in Santa Fe.

Jean Cocteau Cinema has the honor of hosting an interview, reading, Q&A, and book signing with Stephen Graham Jones on May 7th. One of our favorite journalists in Santa Fe, Lorene Mills, will interview Jones and moderate the audience Q&A. Jones will read excerpts from his latest novel (and lycanthropic masterpiece), Mongrels, which is described by author Benjamin Percy as existing “somewhere in the borderlands of literary and genre fiction, full of horror and humor and heart…” Lorene Mills says, "This book is a great read, as are his other unique and dazzling books."

Tickets are available here!

ABOUT THE BOOK:

He was born an outsider, like the rest of his family. Poor yet resilient, he lives in the shadows with his aunt Libby and uncle Darren, folk who stubbornly make their way in a society that does not understand or want them. They are mongrels, mixedblood, neither this nor that. The boy at the center of Mongrels must decide if he belongs on the road with his aunt and uncle, or if he fits with the people on the other side of the tracks.

For ten years, he and his family have lived a life of late-night exits and narrow escapes—always on the move across the South to stay one step ahead of the law. But the time is drawing near when Darren and Libby will finally know if their nephew is like them or not. And the close calls they’ve been running from for so long are catching up fast now. Everything is about to change.

A compelling and fascinating journey, Mongrels alternates between past and present to create an unforgettable portrait of a boy trying to understand his family and his place in a complex and unforgiving world. A smart and innovative story— funny, bloody, raw, and real—told in a rhythmic voice full of heart, Mongrels is a deeply moving, sometimes grisly, novel that illuminates the challenges and tender joys of a life beyond the ordinary in a bold and imaginative new way.

“With lupine tongue tucked well into cheek, Mongrels is at once an adolescent romp through the tangled woods of family history and a rich compendium of werewolf lore, old and new. Stephen Graham Jones gifts us with fun characters, imaginative set pieces, and an immersive tour of the flat-broke American South that spares no plastic orchid or cable-spool coffee table.” — Christopher Buehlman, author of The Lesser Dead.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Stephen Graham Jones is the author of fifteen novels and six story collections. He has received numerous awards including the NEA Fellowship in Fiction, the Texas Institute of Letters Jesse Jones Award for Fiction, the Independent Publishers Award for Multicultural Fiction, the This is Horror Award, as well as making Bloody Disgusting’s Top Ten Novels of the Year. Stephen was raised in West Texas. He now lives in Boulder, Colorado with his wife and children. He is a Blackfoot Native American, and he has been invited to speak at The Library of Congress Poetry and Literature Center for their “Spotlight on Native Writers.”

See you at the Cocteau!

—THIS MESSAGE HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE MINIONS OF FEVRE RIVER—

Hugo Withdrawal

May 1, 2016 at 4:24 pm
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I see that the fanzine BLACK GATE has withdrawn from the Hugo race, after being slated by the Rabid Puppies and nominated (perhaps) as a result of that.

You can read their reasons here:
https://www.blackgate.com/2016/05/01/black-gate-declines-hugo-nomination/

This is the second year that BLACK GATE has refused a nomination, so one certainly has to admire them for their consistency. And no one can deny that this is a very difficult decision for those, like BLACK GATE, that were put on the ballot by the Rabids without their consent (it is an easy decision for the Rabids themselves and their allies, of course, most of whom are squealing as happily as pigs in shit).

Since I’m on record as urging the “hostages” to stand their ground, I can’t applaud this decision. But I will not criticize it either. They had a tough call and they made it, consistent with their own politics and principles.

I will quibble, however, about one of their assertions: that even if BLACK GATE had elected to remain on the ballot, they had no chance of winning. I am not going to go so far as to say they were the favorite… but I think they would have had a shot. All five of this year’s nominees were on the Rabid Slate, yes. But two of the five — BLACK GATE and FILE 770 — are clearly hostages, slated without their consent. Despite the success of No Award in last year’s voting, I think the presence of so many hostages this year changes the equation. My hope is that fewer fans will resort to the Nuclear Option. If so, I think FILE 770 will win here… but BLACK GATE would have given Glyer’s zine its strongest competition. Oh, and yes, No Award will be contending too. TANGENT might have a very slim outside chance.

BLACK GATE’s withdrawal changes all that, of course. The big question is, what takes its place? Whatever it is, I’d say that it instantly becomes a major contender here, just as THREE BODY PROBLEM became a contender last year after Marko Kloos pulled out of novel. My guess is that the rocket goes to either FILE 770 or the new nominee…

(One also wonders what will take place of the “The Commuter,” the Thomas Mays nominee in Short Story. Mays has also withdrawn).

Sixth place has never been so crucial.