Our guest speaker in June is Nina D Campbell, who has just published her crime novel, Daughters of Eve. Nina studied theatre and literature at university before stumbling into the world of work in the midst of the recession that we had to have. She cobbled together a respectable career as a professional writer, working across the community and public sectors, before a midlife health challenge changed her priorities. Nina now writes fiction full-time, with a focus on stories about strong women.
When a high-profile murder lands literally at her feet, Detective Emilia Hart sees a chance to expand her caseload beyond the endless succession of domestic violence she is forced to investigate. But this is no simple investigation. Another body, turns up, then another. Then more – a lot more. All men, all shot with a similar MO. It’s not until a manifesto taking credit for the crimes is published by a group calling themselves Daughters of Eve that Hart confirms a link between the victims.
Topic: Critical Mass Time: Jun 22, 2022 6:30pm Adelaide / 7pm Melbourne
Doors open at Kappys in Compton St at 6:15, meeting starts at 6:30 Adelaide time.
The Locus Awards run on Zoom over four days, the first three of which have book readings from 8.30 to 11.30am Adelaide time*; the fourth day runs from 2:30am Sunday to the actual ceremony at 7:30am. There’s a $15 membership for those who can’t afford the $45 full price. The reduced membership doesn’t include the t-shirt and programme, but does include access to all online events and a subscription to the digital magazine for 6 months. More details: https://locusmag.com/2022-locus-awards-weekend/ List of finalists: https://locusmag.com/2022/05/2022-locus-awards-top-ten-finalists/
Some reviews of the books in the bundle: The Dragon Business by Kevin J. Anderson
“Love this story. Bulldozed through it the first time so taking it slowly second time around to appreciate it more.”– Persis Gretna
Mythology 101 by Jody Lynn Nye
“A great sense of humor.”– Piers Anthony
Mis Spelled by TH Leatherman
“This was an extremely enjoyable book. The hero and the supporting cast were all likable, and I especially appreciated that the hero was able to succeed without violence most of the time. The humor and the world-building were both first rate, and the story ended in a satisfying manner while still leaving room for a sequel.”– Amazon Review
Kradak the Champion by Shawn Inmon
“Well, here I go again down one of Shawn Inmon’s rabbit holes. No one digs them better. Steve, Rista, and Grint are something else. This quest is just the right mix of adventure, drama, darkness, and humor.”– Michelle Gwynn, author
The Thing from HR by Roy M. Griffis
“I laughed far too much as this crossover of office politics and eldritch horrors.”– Reader review
The Night Sheriff by Phil Foglio
“The Night Sheriff is Phil’s first solo-authored prose work, and he brings every bit of genius to it that he normally devotes to the comic-book and graphic novel medium. Know that with The Night Sheriff you’re in for an adventure at the hands of a master storyteller.”– Marion G Harmon, Bestselling author of the Wear The Cape Series
Fools’ Day by Patrick Thomas
“Slick… Entertaining.”– Paul Di Filippo, Asimov’s
His Angelic Keeper by Melinda Kucsera
“…it didn’t take long for things to get interesting and exciting. This book leaves you with wanting to read more. I love these books, they have the fantasy, action, adventure and world building that I enjoy, but they also are “nice” in a way where they are[n’t] as dark or steamy as some books are. I do recommend these, they are a nice change.”– Roberta, Amazon
Magic and Misrule by KM Merritt
“The setting was just immersive enough to complement the fun and brisk plot such that I happily started and finished this story in one sitting! I genuinely laughed out loud multiple times. Lastly, I can’t stress enough how skillfully the author represented some very underrepresented people/characters while completely succeeding in making that representation a nonissue to the plot. I can’t wait to read the next installment of this saga!”– Goodreads Review
Og-Grim-Dog by Jamie Edmundson
“a marathon of craziness that will tickle your sense of humor. Loved all the gritty characters and enjoyed the fast-paced action plot.”– Reader review
Hatched – Dragon Farmer Book One by Caren Hahn
•”The writing is eloquent. The story feels new and different from others I’ve read. Dragon farmers! Genius!”– Reader review
The Simple Delivery by Andrew Claydon
The story has wit and style, is full of great characters, heroes and villians, conspiracies and alliances and a great ending. Loved it and look forward to more of these.– Amazon Review
Quest by A.J. Ponder
“The writing is magnificent. This book is made for reading aloud, it fair rollicks along, a huge vocabulary with marvellous character drawings, funny dialogue and conversations. The best parts though, to encourage fully engaged adult interaction with child, are the footnotes the author has made which are really for adult eyes only. Funny, wicked and sometimes a bit naughty. There is no happy living after in this story either! No handsome prince, no evil witch. So the traditional fairy tale is turned on its head, and I hope to see more of Syvalla’s adventures, because she is well set up to take on more baddies.”– Felicity Murray, The Read
This month, we’ve got a special screening of Fritz Lang’s 1927 masterpiece, Metropolis.
This is the newly restored edition, including the 25 minutes of “new” footage found in 2008 at the Buenos Ares’ Museo del Cine. If you haven’t seen this version, you’re in for a treat. The film runs for just under 150 mins, so this will be a longer than usual Crit Mass meeting. Feel free to bring a friend!
If you want to join us via zoom, it’ll have to be for the post-film discussion at 8:30 Adelaide time. (We don’t have the rights to zoom the film, alas.) We are starting half an hour early this month, at 6pm Adelaide time.
Critical Mass at Kappys, 5:45 for a 6:00pm start on Wednesday, May 25th.
On the restless night of June 3, 1989, a young engineer visiting Beijing for a trade conference had a nightmare. He dreamt of a battalion of children fighting in a whiteout blizzard under the penetrating light of a supernova—that is, the sun was about to go out. The next morning, tanks rolled into Tiananmen Square to clear the thousands of protesters who had occupied it for months demanding more openness and democracy in China. The nightmare in the dreams of June 3rd and the nightmare in the reality of June 4th inspired Liu Cixin to write his first novel, The Supernova Era, though it would not be published for more than 10 years. Liu Cixin is easily the most prominent science fiction author in China today, and his Three Body Problem trilogy made waves when its first volume won the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2015. But his writing career, and by association the flourishing of Chinese science fiction in the wake of Three Body’s success, began with a dream.
The 200 Sci-Fi Worlds Bundle – Curated by J. Scott Coatsworth:
We’ve included fifteen sci-fi anthologies and collections showcasing 139 authors and more than 200 individual stories, but it’s available for a limited time only! This StoryBundle features a wide variety of themes – fighting climate change, exploring the far reaches of the galaxy, future crime, hopepunk, sci-fi zombies, space marines, exosapiens, LGBTQ+ heroes, and so much more. With 139 authors, chances are that you’ll find some new writers to love.
You can read more about them at Storybundle, and make sure to click on each cover for a synopsis, reviews and preview of each book! Offer available until 26th May.
Lucy Sussex will discuss Sir Gawain and the Green Knight as part of the Matter of Britain. It’s a combined face to face and Zoom meeting, with the speakers both speaking from the round table at the Kensington Town Hall.
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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Nova Mob meeting 4 May 2022
Terry Frost on The Green Knight (2021 film)
Lucy Sussex on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (Arthurian legend)
Combined Zoom and face-to-face meeting.
Lucy and Terry will be speaking on location from the Kensington Town Hall.
Terry Frost won the 2021 William Atheling, Jr. Award for Criticism or Review, for his reviews in Terry Talks Movies. His YouTube channel of film reviews has more than 1.2 million hits and has a patreon option. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG3hwNZQ6FyrJVyE50fUqRQ
Lucy Sussex is an Honorary Fellow at Federation and La Trobe Universities and has taught at Clarion West, been shortlisted (as editor) for the World Fantasy Award, is currently on the Hugo ballot within the context of McIntyre & Nette’s Dangerous Visions… and has won various sf awards including the Ian Gunn Memorial Award for services to sf fandom.
Lucy and Terry are Nova Mob members.
Thanks to Lucy for organising this topic and speakers.
Lucy Sussex on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (Arthurian legend)
Combined Zoom and face-to-face meeting.
Lucy and Terry will be speaking on location from the Kensington Town Hall.
Terry Frost won the 2021 William Atheling, Jr. Award for Criticism or Review, for his reviews in Terry Talks Movies. His YouTube channel of film reviews has more than 1.2 million hits and has a patreon option. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG3hwNZQ6FyrJVyE50fUqRQ
Lucy Sussex is an Honorary Fellow at Federation and La Trobe Universities and has taught at Clarion West, been shortlisted (as editor) for the World Fantasy Award, is currently on the Hugo ballot within the context of McIntyre & Nette’s Dangerous Visions… , and has won various sf awards including the Ian Gunn Memorial Award for services to sf fandom.
Lucy and Terry are Nova Mob members.
Thanks to Lucy for organising this topic and speakers.
It’s worth watching the movie before the Mob meeting.
“As of November 2021, on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film had an approval rating of 89% based on 278 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The site’s critics’ consensus reads, “The Green Knight honors and deconstructs its source material in equal measure, producing an absorbing adventure that casts a fantastical spell.”[35] As of November 2021, on Metacritic, it had a weighted average score of 85 out of 100 based on 49 critics, indicating “universal acclaim”. [From wikipedia]
“Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a late 14th-century chivalric romance in Middle English. The author is unknown; the title was given centuries later. It is one of the best-known Arthurian stories, with its plot combining two types of folk motifs: the beheading game, and the exchange of winnings. Written in stanzas of alliterative verse, each of which ends in a rhyming bob and wheel;[1] it draws on Welsh, Irish, and English stories, as well as the French chivalric tradition. It is an important example of a chivalric romance, which typically involves a hero who goes on a quest which tests his prowess. It remains popular in modern English renderings from J. R. R. Tolkien, Simon Armitage, and others, as well as through film and stage adaptations.
“The story describes how Sir Gawain, a knight of King Arthur‘s Round Table, accepts a challenge from a mysterious “Green Knight” who dares any knight to strike him with his axe if he will take a return blow in a year and a day. Gawain accepts and beheads him, at which the Green Knight stands, picks up his head, and reminds Gawain of the appointed time. In his struggles to keep his bargain, Gawain demonstrates chivalry and loyalty until his honour is called into question by a test involving the lord and the lady of the castle at which he is a guest. The poem survives in one manuscript, Cotton Nero A.x., which also includes three religious narrative poems: Pearl, Cleanness, and Patience. All are thought to have been written by the same author, dubbed the “Pearl Poet” or “Gawain Poet,” since all four are written in a NorthWest Midlands dialect of Middle English.[2][3][From Wikipedia]
Those seeking to read this poem in the original Middle English (North West Midlands dialect) are asked to click here.
In Person: Kensington Town Hall
You are invited to a Nova Mob gathering at: Wednesday 4 May 8.00pm – 9.30 pm or so, first floor Conference Room
Kensington Town Hall 30 – 34 Bellair St, Kensington Melbourne VIC 3031
Simultaneously with a Zoom meeting.
COVID-19 protocols apply. Please don’t attend if you feel unwell, or if you are not fully vaccinated.
By Zoom – as transmitted from the Kensington Town Hall
The Day the Earth Caught Fire– This cerebral mix of conspiracy a-go-go and sci-fi (from 1961) was written and directed by Val Guest. Simultaneous nuclear testing by the U.S. and Soviets triggers an alarmingly rapid shift in the Earth’s climate. As London’s weather turns more tropical by the hour, a Daily Express reporter (Peter Stenning) begins to suspect that the British government is not being 100% forthcoming on the possible fate of the world. Along the way, Stenning has some steamy scenes with his love interest (sexy Janet Munro). The film is more noteworthy for its smart, snappy patter than its run-of-the-mill special effects, but delivers a compelling narrative. Co-starring veteran scene-stealer Leo McKern.
Since publishing her debut novel Ammonite in 1993, Nicola Griffith has won the Otherwise Award (formally the James Tiptree, Jr Award), the World Fantasy Award, the Nebula Award, the Washington State Book Award, and no less than six Lambda Literary Awards, as well as being shortlisted for the BSFA Award, the Arthur C. Clarke Award and the Locus Award. The Bending The Landscape anthologies she edited with Stephen Pagel were landmark works of LGBTQ+ speculative fiction. Griffith’s work spans genres, from near-future speculative fiction to historical fiction and fantasy, from noir-esque detective fiction to space opera. She’s even written the award-winning nonfiction memoir And Now We Are Going to Have a Party: Liner Notes to a Writer’s Early Life (2017).
Griffith’s refusal to stay still is part of what makes her such a compelling writer, yet it can make it difficult to know which one of her books is the best place for a new reader to start.
If you’re interested in space opera, read Ammonite
“And these places you go, the people you find, do you come to care for them? Or do you only study them, like strange shells you might find on the beach?”
Griffith’s debut novel immediately established her as an important new voice in genre fiction, and it’s easy to see why. Ammonite is a key work of feminist SF, the missing link between Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness and Kameron Hurley’s The Stars Are Legion. The novel is an epic adventure set on an alien planet, with enough cool worldbuilding and biological speculation to appeal to any space opera fan. Ammonite tells the story of Marghe, a xenobiologist and linguist sent to study the planet of Jeep by the Company.
Jonathon Thornton, where to begin reading the work of Nicola Griffith, tor.com
Note: her new novella, Spear, has just been published, and is available as an audio book read by Nicola herself.
The Adelaide Fan Review 
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