Posts Tagged ‘Worldcon’

Rayguns Over Texas Contents Set

Thursday, January 10th, 2013

The final contents of Rick Klaw’s Rayguns Over Texas has been announced:

  • “Pet Rock” by Sanford Allen

  • “Defenders of Beeman County” by Aaron Allston
  • “TimeOut” by Neal Barret, Jr.
  • “Babylon Moon” by Matthew Bey
  • “Sovereign Wealth” by Chris N. Brown
  • “La Bamba Boulevard” by Bradley Denton
  • “The Atmosphere Man” by Nicky Drayden
  • “Operators Are Standing By” by Rhonda Eudaly
  • “Take a Left at the Cretaceous” by Mark Finn
  • “Grey Goo and You” by Derek Austin Johnson
  • “Rex” by Joe R. Lansdale
  • “Texas Died for Somebody’s Sins But Not Mine” by Stina Leicht
  • “Jump the Black” by Marshall Ryan Maresca
  • “An Afternoon’s Nap, or; Five Hundred Years Ahead” by Aurelia Hadley Mohl
  • “The Nostalgia Differential” by Michael Moorcock
  • “Novel Properties of Certain Complex Alkaloids” by Lawrence Person
  • “The Chambered Eye” by Jessica Reisman
  • “Avoiding the Cold War” by Josh Rountree
  • “The Art of Absence” by Don Webb
  • Congrats to my fellow writers for making the cut, and for Aurelia Hadley Mohl for not letting the fact that she died over a hundred years ago slow her down!

    Pictures from the 2012 Chicago Worldcon: Monday

    Monday, September 17th, 2012

    And here’s the final set of picture from the Chicago Worldcon, taken on Monday before I left, including some book dealers.

    Willis Siros, bookdealer and next year’s Worldcon Fan Guest of Honor:

    Mike Walsh, owner of Old Earth Books (and if you’re looking for any of his Howard Waldrop books signed by Howard, I can hook you up).

    Greg Ketter of Dreamhaven Books, along with a big of the dealer’s room. For some reason pictures that include large interior spaces always seem to come out orange on my camera.

    Larry Hallock of Ygor’s Books.

    Sheila Williams, holding her Hugo.

    Stephen Haffner, of Haffner Press.

    Mel Korshak, founder of Shasta Publishers and someone who attended the first Worldcon in 1939!

    I’ve put up two crappy pictures of Charlie Stross, so finally here’s a good one, after he came over to join me, Pat Cadigan and Gardner Dozois for drinks.

    And that’s all she wrote for the 2012 Worldcon! See you in San Antonio!

    Pictures from the 2012 Chicago Worldcon: Sunday

    Sunday, September 16th, 2012

    Yes, more Worldcon photos. I’ve broken them up across multiple posts so the page didn’t load so slowly readers would think they were back in the Geocities era.

    Dantzel Cherry and her friends charge up their eye lasers.

    Legendary fan David Kyle, who attended the first Worldcon in New York City in 1939!

    How many legends can you spot in this photo? David Hartwell, Robert Silverberg, and Joe and Gay Haldeman all talk to David Kyle.

    Connie Willis, enjoying the first Worldcon where she wasn’t required to present an award since she was six years old.

    With Mary Robinette Kowal, who survived the ordeal of being a SFWA officer.

    Michael Cassutt, just minutes before he was tragically bored to death at the Robert A. Heinlein Society annual meeting.

    Adam-Troy Castro. “I said sell Greek bonds! SELL!”

    Steve Jackson, who was there with his Chaos Machine setup. “What’s that? I can’t hear you over the sound of all that money my Ogre Kickstarter made.”

    Not-so-secret master of Fandom Ben Yalow.

    John Picacio, in the last known photo of him before he won the freaking Hugo Award.

    James Patrick Kelly and Robert Silverberg.

    Saturday night I dined with Scott Bobo, Kurt Baty, Sarah Felix, Ed Scarborough, and Spike and Tom at Everest, a 7 course meal that took three and a half hours and cost $200. Sunday, before the Hugos? I ate at Chipolte with Dantzel and some of her friends.

    Remember, pictures of attractive women are your best blog-visit drivers!

    David Brin is the Belle of the Ball:

    Molly Nixon, ready for the Hugos.

    As is Mary Robinette Kowal.

    Jim Minz and Mike Resnick at the door of the Baen party.

    Scott Edelman and Robert Reed, in a diagonally framed shot to get both of them in.

    Jay Lake, embossed by rocketship.

    You go, I go, for podcasting Hugos:

    Neil Gaiman, after the Hugos.

    John Scalzi in Murder by Hugo (Neil’s, as it happens).

    Scott Edelman’s fashion approaches David Hartwell levels of taste.

    And now, for the full effect: With the shoes.

    A better picture of Sue Burke, with 85% less “about to be eaten by zombies” grimness.

    Texas Worldcon Chairman Bill Parker looking sharp.

    Jim Mann, proving that some moose ties kan be pretty nasti.

    Another crappy picture of Charlie Stross, this one wearing his “Christopher Priest yells at a cloud” inspired t-shirt.

    It’s not my fault! She kept changing her outfit!

    Pictures from the 2012 Chicago Worldcon: Saturday

    Saturday, September 8th, 2012

    Dantzel Cherry, show us your buffalo!

    As long as you’re not using it to flack for another science fiction writer named Lawrence…damnit!

    Part of a big crowd (along with Beth Mechem and Willie Siros) in the Tor Party:

    David Brin, caught mid-laugh:

    A very sleepy Lawrence Watt-Evans:

    One spins, one measures, one cuts.

    I attended the Worldcon SFWA Business meeting at 9 AM that morning, which included a “breakfast” of fruit and bagels. For San Antonio, may I suggest breakfast tacos?

    Joe Haldeman also attended.

    As did Eileen Gunn.

    Gardner Dozois and Eileen.

    Elizabeth Bear. If Elizabeth Bear and Greg Bear ever meet, they have the power to transform into a giant grizzly.

    A crappy picture from the totally awesome “Secret History of Worldcon” panel. George R. R. Martin (who I was finally able to get my Hugo Loser ribbon from), Mike Resnick, Joe Haldeman, Robert Silverberg. Gardner Dozois, who spaced on the time, joined later. I hope someone recorded that panel. It was epic!

    Paolo Bacigalupi and his crying/vomiting cat t-short.

    Night Shade Press publisher and infamous clothes horse Jeremy Lassen.

    And I never knew he was a Texas Longhorns fan!

    John Two-Time Hugo NomineeOne-Time Hugo WINNER DeNardo of SF Signal.

    Sue Burke and hubby. I wanted to get pictures to remember them by after the Iberian cannibalism breaks out.

    Scott Lynch, with nifty Lovecraft & Tesla T-shirt.

    Up close and personal.

    James Patrick Kelly must be going.

    Gardner Dozois and Amy Sisson:

    Janis Ian. Yes, that Janis Ian.

    Pictures from the 2012 Chicago WorldCon: Friday

    Thursday, September 6th, 2012

    The obligatory Stina Leicht picture:

    Stina was a John W. Campbell Award nominee this year, and she moderated a panel that included Gene Wolfe, Martha Wells, and Joan D. Vinge (below).

    After the panel I had lunch with Gene Wolfe, Gary K. Wolfe (below), Gene’s daughter Teri Goulding, and Gary’s girlfriend Stacie Hanes.

    Gary ordered the Frank Gehry Sandwich, impressively postmodern and completely impractical.

    Alaskan David Marusek:

    Laura Ann Gilman. “Smile broadly! Drink heavily!”

    Bookseller and Tiger Eye Press publisher Chris Edwards:

    Allen Steele.

    Jim Minz and Catherine Asaro. I trust you can guess which is which.

    James Patrick Kelly, John Kessel and David Marusek. “Look into my eyes!”

    Toastmaster and SFWA President John Scalzi:

    Pictures from the 2012 Chicago WorldCon: Wednesday & Thursday

    Wednesday, September 5th, 2012

    Always willing to get cheap blog fodder document science fiction history, I tried to take pictures of just about everyone I knew that I bumped into there.

    Scott Bobo and Kurt Baty pretend they’ve been hard at work setting up the art show.

    Elizabeth Moon, hanging out in front of the Lone Star Con 3 table.

    The ubiquitous Guest of Honor Mike Resnick at one of the approximately 700 parties he attended over the week.

    John Kessel looms large in science fiction.

    Scott Bobo sitting in front of the portal to London that suddenly appeared behind him.

    A blurry Adam Troy-Castro stands in front of an equally blurry Charles Stross. Obviously there was some sort of temporal disturbance in the dealer’s room.

    Sue Burke contemplates her life after the collapse of the Spanish economy.

    Noted lush Scott Bobo yet again, doing what he does best. Bobo, Kurt, Ed Scarborough and I ended up eating out together three times during Worldcon, hence extra pics of some of them. This one is from the original Morton’s.

    Ed Sacrborough and Jonathan Miles. “Is that bastard taking our picture again?”

    Kurt and Grady, whose skin has lightened considerably since his stint on Sanford & Son.

    More pics, probably tomorrow.

    Back from the Chicago Worldcon

    Tuesday, September 4th, 2012

    Got home from the Chicago Worldcon today. Regular blogging to resume tomorrow.

    On-tap: Photos. Lots and lots of photos.

    David Brin Plays the Harmonica

    Wednesday, September 7th, 2011

    One final bit from Worldcon. Here’s an audio recording of David Brin playing “Camptown Races” on the harmonica on the shuttle bus from the 2011 Worldcon to the Reno/Tahoe Airport. (I’ve chopped off a couple of false starts on other songs before this.) There’s a little flutter toward the middle, but I think he does a pretty credible job…

    Brin Harmonica

    Books I Picked Up at the Reno Worldcon

    Friday, September 2nd, 2011

    Various issues have kept me remarkably busy the last few days, so it may take a little while to get my blogging back up to speed. In particular, I wanted to do a brief roundup of some of the books I bought at the Reno Worldcon.

    This year’s Worldcon had a better dealer’s room than Denver in 2008 (the last Worldcon I went to), and there were many rare and tempting items there (including not one, but two copies of the first edition of William Timlin’s The Ship That Sailed to Mars, as well as a fine signed first edition of Alfred Bester’s Tiger Tiger listed for $2,500, and which sold for a bit less) which, alas, they wanted more for than I was willing to spend.

    But here are a few items I was able to add to my collection:

  • Serviss, Garrett P. Edison’s Conquest of Mars. Carcosa House, 1947. First edition hardback, one of 1,500 copies, a Fine copy in one of only 500 (or fewer) dust jackets distributed with the book, a Near Fine example of dj with just a few traces of edgewear and slight age-darkening to the spine. The dust jacket is rarely found, and even more seldom found in such excellent condition.

    The dust jacket art itself is perhaps the finest ever drawn by an eight-year old…

  • Hubbard, L. Ron. Final Blackout. Hadley Publishing, 1948. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Near Fine+ dust jacket with slight age darkening to white portions of cover. I’m not a big fan of Hubbard (or his church), but this and Fear are reportedly among his best works, and I am less familiar with his output than almost any other Golden Age author. Plus it puts me closer to having a complete collection of Hadley Publishing, an important early SF specialty press.

  • Gaiman, Neil. Melinda. Hill House, 2004. First edition graphic novel, one of 1,500 signed copies, Fine, sans dust jacket, as issued. Wanted this when it came out, but not enough to pay the $250 or so Hill House was asking for it, especially considering how slender it is. But the $50 I picked it up for was just right…


  • Anderson, Poul. Fire Time. Doubleday, 1974. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Near Fine dust jacket with edgewear. Not a difficult or valuable title, except this copy was inscribed by Anderson to Charles N. Brown, which I thought made it worth a good bit more than the $15 the Locus folks were asking for it.
  • Diaz, Junot. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Riverhead Books, 2007. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine dust jacket. Been looking for a copy at various Half Price Books and not finding one, so I was happy to pick this up from Scott and Willie.
  • Moorcock, Michael. The Sleeping Sorceress. New English Library, 1971. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Near Fine+ dust jacket with color loss along inner flaps edges (possibly a printing flaw). First hardback edition of The Vanishing Tower.
  • Moorcock, Michael. The Runestaff. White Lion, 1974. First edition hardback, a Fine- copy with just a tiny bit of wear in a Fine dust jacket. First hardback edition.
  • Shute, Nevil. On the Beach. Heinemann, 1957. First edition hardback, a near Fine plus copy with dust staining to top page blocks and touches of wear to boards at heel, in a Near Fine dust jacket, with slight edgewear at head and heel and a few very short, closed tears.
  • Farmer, Philip Jose. The Keeper of the Secrets. Severn House, 1985. First edition hardback, a Fine copy in a Fine- dust jacket with a tiny bit of haze rubbing to the rear cover. First hardback edition of The Mad Goblin.
  • Farmer, Philip Jose. Love Song. Brandon House, 1970. First edition paperback original, a Near Fine- copy, with slight cover wear and ownership stamps and stickers for Diana Ann Barbour. My best find at the convention wasn’t even a purchase; Barbour had specified that her library was to be given away, and when I spotted this green spine among the stacks of Philip Jose Farmer paperbacks being set out, I snagged it. (I left behind two of the Essex House paperbacks they were putting out, because it doesn’t pay to be piggish.) The only copy of the PBO online lists for $850. That’s too high, but $200-400 is probably realistic.
  • Worldcon 2011 Photos for Sunday, August 21

    Friday, August 26th, 2011

    Just a few more to round out the set.


    I’m sorry if my previous picture gave you the impression that Lauren Beukes is merely attractive rather than gorgeous.


    Newly-named 2013 Worldcon Toastmaster Paul Cornell.


    Gardner Dozois, 700-time Hugo winner and the man I made my first professional science fiction sale to, which obviously makes him an editor of superb taste…


    The newly married George R. R. Martin. I tried to get pictures of him and his bride Parris a couple of days before, but my camera battery died first.

    And that’s the last of the Worldcon photos. And Armadillocon starts, er, today…