INTERZONE 254 SEPT-OCT 2014 Read online

  INTERZONE

  ISSUE 254

  SEPT - OCT 2014

  Publisher

  TTA Press, 5 Martins Lane, Witcham, Ely, Cambs CB6 2LB, UK

  w: ttapress.com

  e: [email protected]

  f: facebook.com/TTAPress

  t: @TTApress

  Editor

  Andy Cox

  e: [email protected]

  Assistant Fiction Editor

  Andy Hedgecock

  Book Reviews Editor

  Jim Steel

  e: [email protected]

  Story Proofreader

  Peter Tennant

  e: [email protected]

  Events

  Roy Gray

  e: [email protected]

  © 2014 Interzone and its contributors

  Submissions

  Unsolicited submissions of short stories are always welcome via our online system, but please follow the guidelines on our website.

  CONTENTS

  COVER ART: RENDEZVOUS by WAYNE HAAG

  www.ankaris.com/blog/

  EDITORIAL

  JIM STEEL

  ANSIBLE LINK

  DAVID LANGFORD

  FUTURE INTERRUPTED

  JONATHAN McCALMONT

  TIME PIECES

  NINA ALLAN

  MARIELENA

  NINA ALLAN

  Novelette illustrated by Tara Bush

  www.tarabush.co.uk

  A MINUTE AND A HALF

  JAY O’CONNELL

  Illustrated by Daniel Bristow-Bailey

  bristow-bailey.deviantart.com

  BONE DEEP

  S.L. NICKERSON

  DARK ON A DARKLING EARTH

  T.R. NAPPER

  Novelette illustrated by Richard Wagner

  [email protected](email)

  THE FACES BETWEEN US

  JULIE C. DAY

  Illustrated by Richard Wagner

  SONGS LIKE FREIGHT TRAINS

  SAM J. MILLER

  Illustrated by Richard Wagner

  BOOK ZONE

  Book reviews

  LASER FODDER

  TONY LEE

  DVD/Blu-ray reviews

  MUTANT POPCORN

  NICK LOWE

  Film reviews

  EDITORIAL

  JIM STEEL

  It is often said that the difference between a reviewer and a critic is that you read the first before you come to the book, and the second afterwards. The Book Zone reviews books and its first responsibility is to you, dear reader. It has to be honest, obviously, but it must also amuse and inform. None of you reads every single book that we review; not every book will be to your taste. But we try to make every review worth reading. And – believe it or not – while a negative review can be highly entertaining, I always try to match reviewers with books that they will enjoy or, at least, be able to write about from an informed perspective.

  The speculative fiction market is changing in all sorts of ways and in many respects we are returning to a pre-Gernsback state of affairs. Mainstream writers are no longer afraid to dabble in genre. This is something that has been building since the cinema blockbuster explosion of the seventies threw the nodes into the mainstream, and it is to be welcomed with open arms. We do, however, still need to distinguish between the writers who have an intrinsic grasp of the form and those who view the genre merely as an allegorical prop. The very nature of publishing is changing as well, with self-publishers and even major publishers releasing some books only in an electronic format. The ease of production has resulted in some very feeble writing coming before us, but there are grains to be found in the mountain of chaff. We would be negligent if we ignored them entirely.

  It is also vital that we remember that SF is not merely the playground of white male Anglophone writers. There is no gender imbalance among readers and writers (if anything, female readers outnumber males), so there shouldn’t be one in reviews. The fact that there is a dichotomy is something that has been explored in greater depth in other venues and it is a problem that involves constant vigilance on my part. I don’t always succeed but it is something that I am always aware of. Generally we can only review the books we get sent, but why do we have to chase publishers to get review copies for female writers more than those for male?

  I am also attempting to look outside of the Anglo-American tradition. For a genre that supposedly spans the universe, it seems strange that so many of us restrict our reading to material that comes from such a small region. Science Fiction World is China’s Interzone and a decade ago it had an estimated readership of a million. Those readers weren’t reading occidental reprints. African SF is increasingly appearing before us, both in English and in translation. And Arabic SF, as Amal El-Mohtar recently pointed out, is now a thing. All of these people, and more, are bringing their own traditions and perspectives to SF and it is all the richer for it.

  We haven’t the room to review every book that we’re sent, but one thing’s certain: if we don’t have it then we won’t be reviewing it. If you’re a writer or publisher then you could do a lot worse than send your book to us at the editorial address.

  ANSIBLE LINK

  DAVID LANGFORD

  Loncon 3, the 2014 World SF Convention held in London’s ExCeL centre, was the largest ever Worldcon in terms of registrations sold (10,833) and the second largest for its actual attendance figure of 7,951. With cunning forethought, the huge bleak spaces of the main ExCeL halls used were broken up into a fascinating maze of exhibits, dealer tables and art displays on an upper level, with catering, special-interest tents, a library area and much else in the extensive ‘Fan Village’ below. This all worked rather well, and – unusually for a British worldcon – the real ale didn’t run out. The usual awards were presented…

  Hugos. Novel: Ann Leckie, Ancillary Justice, which had already swept the Clarke, Nebula and others. Novella: Charles Stross, ‘Equoid’ (Tor.com 9/13). Novelette: Mary Robinette Kowal, ‘The Lady Astronaut of Mars’, (Rip-Off! 2012; this audiobook version deemed ineligible in 2013; maryrobinettekowal.com 2/13). Short: John Chu, ‘The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere’ (Tor.com 2/13). Dramatic, Long: Gravity. Dramatic, Short: Game of Thrones, ‘The Rains of Castamere’. Related Work: Kameron Hurley, ‘We Have Always Fought’ (A Dribble of Ink 5/13). Graphic Story: Randall Munroe, ‘Time’ (xkcd.com). Pro Editor, Long: Ginjer Buchanan. Pro Editor, Short: Ellen Datlow. Pro Artist: Julie Dillon. Semiprozine: Lightspeed. Fanzine: A Dribble of Ink. Fancast: SF Signal Podcast. Fan Writer: Kameron Hurley. Fan Artist: Sarah Webb. John W. Campbell Award: Sofia Samatar.

  Robert Silverberg greeted me at Loncon with a cheering word: ‘Everyone who won a Hugo before me is now dead.’

  As Others See Us. The Jabberwocky music festival, scheduled simultaneously in the vast Loncon 3 venue, was cancelled. A fan site explained: ‘The ExCeL Centre is not a known music space. Not only is it kind of a pain in the arse to get to, but nobody wants to see Nils Frahm in a sparsely populated, untested conference centre with a fucking science-fiction convention next door.’ • The Guardian’s friendlier coverage scored highly on the sf journalism bingo card with ‘World Science Fiction Convention 2014 beams into London / Nowt so queer as filk as Loncon at the ExCel centre allies sci-fi and fantasy…’

  Retro Hugos for 1938 work. Novel: T.H. White, The Sword in the Stone. Novella: John W. Campbell as Don A Stuart, ‘Who Goes There?’ (Astounding 8/38). Novelette: Clifford D. Simak, ‘Rule 18’ (Astounding 7/38). Short: Arthur C. Clarke, ‘How We Went to Mars’ (Amateur Science Stories 3/38). Dramatic: The War of the Worlds (radio). Editor: John W. Campbell. Pro Artist: Virgil Finlay. Fanzine: Imagination! Fan Writer: Ray Bradbury.

  Future Worldcons. Ne
xt year is Spokane (sasquan.org); in the 2016 site selection at Loncon, a Beijing bid – China’s first attempt – lost by a huge margin to Kansas City (midamericon2.org). 2017 bids are Helsinki and Japan; 2018, New Orleans and San José; 2019, Dublin unopposed; 2020, New Zealand.

  Nnedi Okorafor, on the Afrofuturism panel at Detcon, ‘gave an example of how our community has much to learn on such questions, informing us that she had been asked, “You've got Anansi in your book. Did you get that from American Gods?”’ (Nice Distinctions)

  The Weakest Link. Host: ‘Which Irvine Welsh novel features a monologue by a tapeworm?’ Contestant: ‘Wuthering Heights.’ (ITV The Chase) • Host: ‘It lives in a hutch. Bugs Bunny is one of them.’ Contestant: ‘An owl?’ (Heart FM, Glasgow)

  Life Achievement Awards. Chesley (art): Jim Burns, who’d thought it was safe to go to a party rather than the Chesleys presentation because he wasn’t on the ballot. • First Fandom Hall of Fame: John Clute; posthumous, John Carnell and Walter H. Gillings. • World Fantasy: Ellen Datlow, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro.

  Albus Dumbledore headed the Times Educational Supplement poll for UK teachers’ favourite role model. (Independent)

  Terry Pratchett sadly cancelled a public appearance: ‘I […] have been able to write for much longer than any of us ever thought possible, but now The Embuggerance is finally catching up with me, along with other age-related ailments.’ (Guardian)

  Tove Jansson of Moomintroll fame appears on a new two-Euro coin from the Mint of Finland, marking her birth centenary in August.

  Kim Newman announced: ‘So I’ll be letting my Horror Writers Association membership expire.’ This in response to the HWA vote to allow self-published works as an active membership qualification, provided they earn $2,000 within two years of publication. Various concerned commentators say SFWA [must never/urgently needs to] follow suit.

  Still More Awards. Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery: Mildred Clingerman. • Mythopoeic (fantasy) novel categories. Adult: Helene Wecker, The Golem and the Jinni. Children: Holly Black, Doll Bones. • Prometheus (libertarian) novel award (tie): Cory Doctorow, Homeland; Ramez Naam, Nexus. • Sidewise (alt-history) novel award (tie): D.J. Taylor, The Windsor Faction; Bryce Zabel, Surrounded by Enemies: What If Kennedy Survived Dallas?.

  Diana Wynne Jones’s 80th birthday on 16 August was marked by an animated ‘Google doodle’ themed for Howl’s Moving Castle.

  Thog’s Masterclass. Palaeometeorology Dept. ‘It was a gorgeous day, with gossamer clouds strung out like dinosaur bones across the blue sky.’ (Mark Edwards, The Magpies, 2013) • Talking Dirty Dept. ‘The boy tilted back his head to scream at the sky and words erupted from the hole in his face like sewage from a burst pipe.’ (Tom Ward, ‘A Departure’, 2013) • Dept of Neat Tricks. ‘I had barely time to secrete myself before he turned. Luckily, the wall beside me was irregular with protuberances, and I was able to pack myself into one of them.’ (Hugh B Cave, ‘The Door of Doom’, January 1932 Strange Tales) • ‘Masters hoisted his beef with two hands, took a bite, and looked at me through hunched shoulders as he chewed.’ (Michael Harvey, The Chicago Way, 2007) • ‘She looked back at Marnes, saw him frowning at her beneath his moustache.’ (Hugh Howey, Wool, 2011) • ‘A hand took his, pressed it firmly, looked him straight in the eye.’ (Neil Gaiman, American Gods, 2001)

  R.I.P.

  Margot Adler (1946–2014), US radio journalist and author whose books include the nonfiction Vampires Are Us (2014), died on 28 July aged 68.

  Thomas Berger (1924–2014), US author best known for the quasi-Western Little Big Man (1964), several of whose novels explored sf themes – from cryonics in Vital Parts (1960) to androids in Adventures of the Artificial Woman (2004) – died on 13 July. He was 89.

  John Blundall (1937–2014), UK artist and puppeteer who created several characters for Gerry Anderson’s Supermarionation shows – most famously Lady Penelope’s butler/chauffeur Parker – died on 18 August aged 77.

  Neil Craig, proprietor since the early 1980s of Glasgow’s sf books and comics shop Futureshock, died unexpectedly on 29 June; he was 59.

  J.T. Edson (1928–2014), UK author famed for Westerns, who also wrote the Tarzan-inspired Bunduki sf series opening with Bunduki (1975), died on 17 July aged 86.

  Curt Gentry (1931–2014), US author whose disaster novel The Last Days of the Late, Great State of California (1968) drops Los Angeles and most of California into the sea, died on 10 July aged 83.

  C.J. Henderson (1951–2013), US author whose work included horror, urban fantasy – the Teddy London series opening with The Things That Are Not There (1992) – and comics, died on 4 July aged 62.

  Chapman Pincher (1914–2014), UK journalist and author whose works include the sf Not with a Bang (1965) and some borderline-fantastic novels, died on 5 August; he was 100.

  Ana María Matute (1925–2014), distinguished Spanish author whose novels often contained fantasy/supernatural elements, died on 25 June aged 88. Her many awards include the Cervantes Prize, the Spanish-speaking world’s highest literary honour.

  Walter Dean Myers (1937–2014), US author whose popular YA stories (two were Newbery Honor Books) include the sf Brainstorm (1977), died on 1 July aged 76.

  Lawrence P. Santoro, US horror author and podcast host whose story collection is Drink for the Thirst to Come (2011), died on 25 July aged 71.

  Jan Shepheard (1935–2014), UK designer and art editor for various comics including Valiant, 2000 AD (where she created the Judge Dredd title logo) from its 1977 launch and Starlord, died on 27 June.

  Jory Sherman (1932–2014), US author of many Westerns and the seven-book ‘Chill’ psychic-investigator series beginning with Satan’s Seed (1978), died on 28 June; he was 81.

  FUTURE INTERRUPTED

  JONATHAN McCALMONT

  Doctor Johnson’s Awesome Mix Tape

  As the late American writer David Foster Wallace once pointed out, we are existentially alone on the planet. Trapped inside two and a bit pounds of skull, I cannot feel what you are feeling and you cannot know what I am thinking. Books, at their best, are a bridge constructed across the abyss of human loneliness for it is only by immersing ourselves in the words and thoughts of others that we can escape the cramped confines of our own bedraggled self. If we take Foster Wallace at his word and assume that art should aim to break down the barriers between stranded subjectivities then we need to think about how you are going to relate to me and I to you.

  In a recent article published in The New Yorker magazine, Rebecca Meads describes how calling a piece of work ‘relatable’ has emerged as the highest piece of critical praise that this particular cultural moment can bestow. At first glance, calling something relatable seems to be little more than an ugly way of calling it accessible but relatability is actually a much narrower concept. To call a work accessible is to say that neither its style nor its content constitute much of a barrier when it comes to getting to grips with what a work is really trying to say. Relatability, on the other hand, tends to be a quality that accrues to characters whose experiences are so similar to those of the audience that literally everyone can find themselves in what a work is trying to describe. Meads refers to relatability as a scourge on Western culture, an aesthetic designed to ensure that audiences need neither stretch their empathic muscles nor make an imaginative leap. For Meads, making a work relatable means sticking it in a blender, pulping the difficulty and serving it up for an audience so intellectually toothless that they prefer to ingest their culture through a straw. As someone who enjoys the challenge of unflinchingly difficult books and films, my first instinct is to agree with Meads but science fiction is something of a special case: a genre prone to setting its stories on alien planets filled with alien characters does need to worry about how it can grant its readers access to an author’s headspace. This is a column about two works of science fiction that, despite being radically different use similar storytelling techniques to make the inhuman seem relatable.

  Already being
touted as the surprise box-office sensation of the summer by people who are evidently unaware of advertising, James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy is the first Marvel Studios film to focus exclusively on events with no connection to Earth. Genre fans might not perceive this as much of a barrier to entry but it is worth remembering that, up until quite recently, works like Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy and Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men: First Class worked incredibly hard to implant their superheroes in gritty realistic worlds lest their audience find the thought of spandex-clad vigilantes with magical powers just a little bit too silly. This is a very real concern for studio executives as Martin Campbell’s Green Lantern was ripped to shreds for attempting to combine standard super-heroics with po-faced space opera.