Tag: writing

Nova Mob May 7th:

Critical Mass, Critical Mass News, NovaMob, Snippets

Murray MacLachlan writes

James Cambias – 7 May – The Miranda Conspiracy – Baen Books

Jim Cambias writes “I’m making my first visit to Australia in April and May, and I’ll be in Melbourne between May 6 and May 9. I’d love to meet some of Australia’s SF fan community. My seventh novel, The Miranda Conspiracy, just came out.”
Jim will be our guest speaker on 7 May!


Baen Books are pure quill SF and it’s a real pleasure to welcome Jim and his wife to Melbourne! They will be joining our pre-Mob pub meetup dining too.
Here’s the Baen page for his new book:
https://www.baen.com/the-miranda-conspiracy.html
Jim’s personal blog is here: https://www.jamescambias.com

“Political intrigue on Uranus’s moon Miranda, intertwined mysteries among the super-rich ruling class, and a lost treasure from deep space add up to trouble for Adya, Daslakh, and Zee. Unravel The Miranda Conspiracy, a new Billion Worlds novel now available from Baen Books!”

Face to face 

You are invited to an in-person Nova Mob meeting at: 
Wednesday May 7th 2025 8.00pm – 9.00 (formal close) Melbourne, first floor Creative Hub.
Lift access. Stairs access. Both available.

Zoom meeting closes about 9.20pm or so.

Kensington Town Hall 30 – 34 Bellair St
Kensington Melbourne VIC 3031

By Zoom – simulcast
You are invited to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4177583193?pwd=VjdPL1BhSTBNclN2YnRsejN3Y1hlUT09
Passcode: nova
Meeting ID: 417 758 3193
8pm Melbourne, 7:30pm Adelaide

Please don’t attend if you have symptoms that could be COVID 19 or similar.
Our COVID-safe Plan continues to apply and we remain mask-friendly for those who wear them.
Murray MacLachlan|
Convenor

Critical Mass, Mar 19th: Scorpion Girl

Critical Mass News, Snippets

Janeen Webb is a multiple award winning Melbourne author, editor, and critic who has written or edited a dozen books and over a hundred essays and stories. She  is a recipient of the World Fantasy Award, the Peter MacNamara SF Achievement Award, the Australian Aurealis Award and four Ditmar Awards. Her most recent book is The Dragon’s Child (PS Publishing, UK, 2018). Her short story collection, Death at the Blue Elephant, (Ticonderoga, WA) was  shortlisted for the 2015 World Fantasy Award.
Janeen Webb is joining us in person to launch her new collection of short stories, Scorpion Girl.

We all have our demons. In Scorpion Girl, women of all ages face theirs. From battlefields to bedrooms, in these stories nothing is what it seems: creatures from myth, legend, history and literature rub shoulders with ordinary—and extraordinary—people. From ghosts to scientists, from eco-terrorists to time travellers, these courageous women come face to face with the uncanny, the supernatural and the bizarre. They meet the challenges with whatever they can muster—from the casual bravery of a woman warrior to the stoic endurance of a refugee child. Like all of us, they try to make sense of the unstable, conflicted world in which they find themselves.

Critical Mass will meet at 6:30pm on Wednesday, March 19th at the Minor Works Building,
22 Stamford Court, Adelaide.
[If you enter from Sturt Street, there’s an open path between 50 and 52 Sturt Street
leading to the community centre]
For those who can’t make it in person, they’re welcome to join us via zoom

Zoom details: Critical Mass, Adelaide
Time: March 19, 2025 6:30pm Adelaide, 7pm Melbourne, 8am London….

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83196030896?pwd=m2ImO2Z7bGfLtmLvJJHeoci1455Vtr.1

Meeting ID: 831 9603 0896
Passcode: 570773

Reactor readers choose iconic SFF books of the 21st century

Critical Mass News, Snippets

A few weeks ago, we asked dozens of authors about the speculative books they considered The Most Iconic SFF Books of the 21st Century. We loved their responses, from modern classics to translated works to graphic novels to hidden gems.

But of course, readers had opinions! What about this book? How could that author not be in the top 10? It’s part of what we love about this community: a group of people who share a love for science fiction, fantasy, and horror from thousands of different angles, and who feel passionate enough about declaring their love for those books to come together to debate them from across the globe. We anticipated that people might want an outlet for these thoughts outside of social media, so we opened a poll asking for your input. And readers, you delivered!

We received well over 500 responses in the short time the poll was open. While the selections below are just a slice of that enthusiasm, we hope they show the diversity and fervor of SFF fans. Maybe you spot some favorites here. Maybe you get a new stack of recommendations for your shelves. Maybe you just take a minute to think about what the word “iconic” means to you. Either way… we hope you enjoy.

— https://reactormag.com/readers-pick-the-most-iconic-speculative-fiction-books-of-the-21st-century/

Critical Mass, Oct 16th: Speculative Insight with Alexandra Pierce

Snippets

“I believe in the importance of science fiction and fantasy to inform, explore and challenge society: where it is now,where it has been, and where it might go.”
Alexandra Pierce

Alexandra Pierce has been reading science fiction and fantasy since childhood. She did time as a book reviewer for ASiF! (Australian Speculative Fiction in Focus) and Strange Horizons, and currently reviews for Locus Magazine as well as on her own blog.
For a decade she was one third of the Hugo Award-winning podcast Galactic Suburbia. Alex co-edited two award-winning books, both with Australian indie publisher Twelfth Planet Press: Letters to Tiptree and Luminescent Threads: Connections to Octavia E Butler.

In January 2024 Alexandra launched Speculative Insight, publishing two essays a month about issues and themes in science fiction and fantasy. Born in Adelaide, Alex grew up in Darwin, moved to Melbourne for uni, and now lives in Ballarat.


In person: we are meeting once more at Kappy’s, 1/22 Compton St, Adelaide.
Turn up at 6:15 for a 6:30pm start on Wednesday, October 16th.

Zoom details for Critical Mass
Oct 16, 2024 6:30pm Adelaide, 7pm Melbourne/Sydney

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87224309964?pwd=pTIhAuiceNiJRIEKbikVJSAKmNQa1j.1

Meeting ID: 872 2430 9964
Passcode: 356300

Hugo Nominees

Critical Mass News

The nominees in the fiction categories for the 2024 Hugos have been announced:

Best Novel
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty (Harper Voyager, Harper Voyager UK)
The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera (Tordotcom)
Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh (Tordotcom, Orbit UK)
Starter Villain by John Scalzi (Tor, Tor UK)
Translation State by Ann Leckie (Orbit US, Orbit UK)
Witch King by Martha Wells (Tordotcom)
1420 ballots cast for 576 nominees. Finalists range 91-172.

Best Novella
“Life Does Not Allow Us to Meet”, He Xi / 人生不相见, 何夕, translated by Alex Woodend (Adventures in Space: New Short stories by Chinese & English Science Fiction Writers)
Mammoths at the Gates by Nghi Vo (Tordotcom)
The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older (Tordotcom) 
Rose/House by Arkady Martine (Subterranean) 
“Seeds of Mercury”, Wang Jinkang / 水星播种, 王晋康, translated by Alex Woodend (Adventures in Space: New Short stories by Chinese & English Science Fiction Writers)
Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher (Tor, Titan UK) 
962 ballots cast for 187 nominees. Finalists range 106-186.

Best Novelette
I AM AI by Ai Jiang (Shortwave) 
“Introduction to 2181 Overture, Second Edition”, Gu Shi /〈2181序曲〉再版导言, 顾适 translated by Emily Jin (Clarkesworld, February 2023)
“Ivy, Angelica, Bay” by C. L. Polk (Tor.com 8 December 2023) 
“On the Fox Roads” by Nghi Vo (Tor.com 31 October 2023) 
“One Man’s Treasure” by Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny Magazine, January-February 2023) 
“The Year Without Sunshine” by Naomi Kritzer (Uncanny Magazine, November-December 2023) 
755 ballots cast for 212 nominees. Finalists range 40-117.

Best Short Story
“Answerless Journey”, Han Song / 没有答案的航程, 韩松, translated by Alex Woodend (Adventures in Space: New Short stories by Chinese & English Science Fiction Writers)
“Better Living Through Algorithms” by Naomi Kritzer (Clarkesworld May 2023) 
“How to Raise a Kraken in Your Bathtub” by P. Djèlí Clark (Uncanny Magazine, January-February 2023) 
“The Mausoleum’s Children” by Aliette de Bodard (Uncanny Magazine, May-June 2023)
“The Sound of Children Screaming” by Rachael K. Jones (Nightmare Magazine, October 2023) 
美食三品 (“ s”), 宝树 / Baoshu (银河边缘013：黑域密室 / Galaxy’s Edge Vol. 13: Secret Room in the Black Domain) 
720 ballots cast for 612 nominees. Finalists range 27-69.

For the full list of nominees see Locus magazine: 2024 Hugo, Astounding, and Lodestar Awards Finalists