Offworld Report for April 2003

Interviews with authors Larry Niven, Whitley Strieber, Christopher Priest, Ted Chiang, Robert Sheckley, Stephen Baxter, as well as the owners of Golden Gryphon Press, not to mention the cast of the movie Bulletproof Monk; plus Christopher Reeve guest stars on Smallville. Nice.

Just time for a couple of news shorts, before we move onto the best SFF to be found offworld the 'Nest across the glorious month of April 2003.

Ansible over E-asy
Chris Priest and David Langford have cunningly given the filthy world of commerce a wee group-hug by starting a new e-book imprint over at www.ansible-editions.co.uk. Their first titles will be the unpublished John Sladek novella Wholly Smokes and David I. Masson's 1968 collection The Caltraps of Time, somewhat expanded with three of his 1970s stories to comprise Masson's complete SF output.

For those who prefer print editions to the ephemeral world of bits and bytes, they also have a co-publishing deal with Cosmos Books: Caltraps being scheduled for print-on-demand release later this year. There is also a new Langford title from Cosmos, Up Through an Empty House of Stars: Reviews and Essays 1980-2002.

Saddam the Slayer
In a comedic twist of fate, the Conan-like fantasy paintings found in Saddam Hussein's family love shack - dubbed 'Mistress World' by the amused fellows in the US Marine Core - which were, in short order, puriently splashed across most the world press as prima-facie example of Sad-Man's deranged self image, are now being said to be the work of award-winning fantasy illustrator, Rowena Merrill.

More specifically, her paintings Guardian Serpent and King Dragon. Whether they are straight reproductions or knock-offs by some court illustrator is as yet unclear.

It makes you wonder what the old supreme ruler slapped on the CD player when he brought his lovelies back to Saddam's House of Love ... the Clannad soundtrack for Lord of the Rings perhaps?

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dr. Larry Niven
Ringworld author Larry Niven interviewed.

The Monk and the Bullets
The stars of Bulletproof Monk interviewed about bringing a high octane kung-fu comic book to the cinema.

Strieber Man
Author Whitley Strieber chats about communing with aliens, werewolves and his creative muse.

Big Country gets a Big Database
The long lost ISFDB (Internet Speculative Fiction Database) finds a new home at a Texas university.

Frequent Filers
Using the web as his tool of choice, JPK does a ‘where are they now’ feature, for the writers featured in the first issue of Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine (1977).

Parallel Parking
Parallel universes creep closer to reality with this theory that they are a direct implication of cosmological observations.

The Great Race Back to the Moon
Astropreneurs are planning new Apollo-style missions. A small step with a satellite atlas of the lunar surface, followed by a giant leap: ice mining, helium farming, and a gas station to the rest of the solar system.

Smallville: Rosetta
Christopher Reeve guest stars on Smallvile. Wow.

Turner and Halpern
An interview with the editors at Golden Gryphon Press.

Hell No they Shouldn't Go
A commentary on the SFWA's position on the War in Iraq.

Being the One
What if The Matrix was real ...? Spooky.

Who Will Rid me of this Troublesome Priest?
The author of The Space Machine (1976), Christopher Priest, in interview.

Changing Chiang
The author behind Stories of Your Life and Others, Ted Chiang,, in interview.

Other Dimensions
Author Robert Sheckley interviewed.

The Death Trap of Dr. Nefario
A short story by Ben Rosenbaum.

Bring on the Briggs
Interview with the fantasy author behind the novel Dragon Bones, Patricia Briggs.

Being the Baxter
Hard SF author Stephen Baxter chats about the future of the space programme and his collaborations with Arthur C. Clarke.

Hole'y Smoke
New research into black holes and their potential for space travel.

Mapping the Moon
The new renaissance in lunar science.

The Other Henderson Studio
Streaming audio interview with SFF illustrator Dan Henderson. RealPlayer required.

Richard Morgan and his Cyberpunk Organ
Interview with the new wave of British cyberpunk, Richard K. Morgan (a la Altered Carbon etc).

ET fails to 'phone home'
How the SETI search for intelligent life in space has drawn a blank (so far).

Flipping Earth
No longer just the plot for a science-fiction disaster movie. Something weird really is happening to the Earth's magnetic field.

'Time-Traveler' Busted For Insider Trading
SEC investigators have arrested a Wall Street trader on insider-trading charges - and incredibly, he claims to be a time-traveler from the year 2256!

Core, Jon
Director Jon Amiel interviewed about his movie The Core.

Making It to Mars
Why the U.S. shuttle program seems less about exploration & more about transport into orbit. Time to get NASA to think outside Columbia?

Did the Earth Move for You?
How the TV series for 'Tremors' has wormed its way into grateful Baja town, even with people battling giant earthworms; fast-moving, lion-sized bipeds; and flying creatures akin to big grasshoppers.

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OTHER CONTENT - May 2003

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Do Bear's Write in The Woods? An interview with Greg Bear about some of the fascinating ideas contained in his SF novel, Darwin's Children. Human Endogenous Retrovirus anyone? (AUTHOR INTERVIEWS) Of Clockwork Men Artist Tom Abba on winning both the the Ken McIntyre Award and the Paper Tiger Art Award at the UK's Eastercon, plus how he has never considered himself to be a real science fiction artist. Crikes, how did we resist slipping some Nordic pop group jokes into this interview? (INTERVIEWS) The Slow Death of Science Fiction Art The 'Nest's readers respond to Stephen Hunt's plea for decent cover art on SFF novels. Bad covers get named and shamed. (COMMENT) Making Merry SF in Melbourne Australian SFF came under the spotlight, with the recent close of the 2002 Aurealis Awards. Damien Broderick got best novel for 'Transcension' (Tor), which rather begs the question, why's the most popular Ozzie SF coming out of the USA? (AWARDS NEWS) The Core: Mark's Thoughts A spectacular set of disasters and a heroic expedition to save mankind. Some real science and some nonsense mix. If the film does not quite click, it is probably because we have higher standards than we had for science fiction films in their heyday of the 1950s and 1960s. (FILM REVIEWS) The Core: Frank's Thoughts The Core definitely had the making for fascinating sci-fi stimulation. The attempt to turn the scientific discipline of electromagnetism into a robust and cheeky mainstream entertainment seemed quite challenging in concept. (FILM REVIEWS) Teknolust This SF film plays like a throwback to 1960s mod film making. It is every bit as colorful as intended, but not nearly as intelligent. It plays like a college skit but for the digital special effects that allow four Tilda Swintons on the screen at one time. (FILM REVIEWS) Sold Down the Riverworld Philip Jose Farmer's interesting premise of adventures set on a strange life-after-death-world is squandered on a fairly commonplace barbarian-planet story that appears to be the pilot for a most uninteresting and humdrum TV series. (TV REVIEWS) Agent Cody Banks So the likable Malcolm in the Middle pint-sized TV star Frankie Muniz is at it again on the big screen? This time, the movie handlers are trying to package him as a junior James Bond for the kiddie crowd. (FILM REVIEWS) Offworld Report for April 2003 Interviews with authors Larry Niven, Whitley Strieber, Christopher Priest, Ted Chiang, Robert Sheckley, Stephen Baxter, as well as the owners of Golden Gryphon Press, not to mention the cast of the movie Bulletproof Monk; plus Christopher Reeve guest stars on Smallville. Nice. (SITE REVIEWS) Big Engine is going down Sad news has reached us at the 'Nest that innovative British SFF publisher Big Engine is shutting up shop, taking the relatively new 3SF magazine with it. (PUBLISHING NEWS)

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