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ANSIBLE(R) 446
SEPTEMBER 2024

From DAVID LANGFORD, 94 London Road, Reading, Berks, RG1 5AU, UK. Website news.ansible.uk. ISSN 0265-9816 (print); 1740-942X (e). Available for SAE
or a dip in the swimming-pool reactor.

[NET NOTE. See https://news.ansible.uk/a446.html for the nice HTML version; https://news.ansible.uk/pdf/a446.pdf for a printable PDF. Mailing list subscribe/unsubscribe information appears below -- please don't send such requests to my own e-mail address. DRL]

GLASGOW 2024. The third Glasgow Worldcon has happened! Membership figures
from its newsletter _The Unicorn_ (#8, Monday 12 August): 8,845 WSFS
members, 7,240 attendance badges printed, 618 online only.

HUGOS. NOVEL _Some Desperate Glory_ by Emily Tesh. NOVELLA _Thornhedge_ by
T. Kingfisher. NOVELETTE 'The Year Without Sunshine' by Naomi Kritzer (_Uncanny_ 11/23). SHORT 'Better Living Through Algorithms' by Naomi
Kritzer (_Clarkesworld_ 5/23). SERIES 'Imperial Radch' by Ann Leckie.
GRAPHIC _Saga_, Vol. 11. RELATED WORK _A City on Mars_ by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith. DRAMATIC, LONG _Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves_. DRAMATIC, SHORT _The Last of Us_: 'Long, Long Time'. GAME OR INTERACTIVE
WORK _Baldur's Gate 3_. EDITOR, SHORT FORM Neil Clarke. EDITOR, LONG FORM
Ruoxi Chen. PROFESSIONAL ARTIST Rovina Cai. SEMIPROZINE _Strange Horizons_. FANZINE _Nerds of a Feather, Flock Together_. FANCAST _Octothorpe_. FAN
WRITER Paul Weimer. FAN ARTIST Laya Rose. LODESTAR (YA): _To Shape a
Dragon's Breath_ by Moniquill Blackgoose. ASTOUNDING (new writer) Xiran Jay Zhao (eligibility extended by request of sponsor). 3,813 valid final
ballots were cast, mostly electronic but five on paper. (Admin report)

OPENING CEREMONY AWARDS: FIRST FANDOM HALL OF FAME Mary & Bill Burns, David Langford (I am all croggled). Posthumous: Alfred Bester, Mike Glicksohn,
Mike Resnick, Peter Weston. MOSKOWITZ ARCHIVE Joe Siclari & Edie Stern. BIG HEART Michelle Drayton-Harrold ('Cuddles').SPECIAL COMMITTEE AWARD
_Dungeons and Dragons_ on its 50th anniversary.

FOOD. As part of the city's much-mentioned 'vibrant food culture', rumours
of haggis pakoras abounded. John Jarrold had the last word: 'I have just
eaten haggis wontons. And they were good ...' The default beverage at
fast-food outlets was Irn Bru, subtly varied with Diet Irn Bru.

SITE SELECTION. The unopposed Los Angeles bid for 2026 received 452 of the
531 votes cast, with 19 ineligible votes for joke bids etc and 60 opting,
or not opting, for 'no preference'. See events list below for more.

WILL OF THE PEOPLE. That advisory vote on adding new indie film Hugo categories: 533 for, 727 against. The business meeting agreed.

BADGE RIBBONS noted: 'Deja Queue', 'No Beer No Life', 'I collect dead
people' (for genealogists), 'I should be writing', 'We also walk dogs',
'Elite Shadowy Cabal that Controls the Hugos: 2024 MEMBER'.

ALFIE AWARDS were presented by George R.R. Martin to four of those expunged from the 2023 Hugo ballot: _Babel_ by R.F. Kuang (novel), _Sandman_
(dramatic), Paul Weimer (fan writer), Xiran Jay Zhao (new writer).

OOPS. In the great tradition of 'Michael Moocock' (Worldcon 1997), the
Souvenir Book cover gave the venue as Scottland while the title page listed
one fan guest of honour as Mark Plumer. But it was nice that the real ale
bar in the Crowne Plaza hotel was called The Fan and Fishlifter.

SIDEWISE AWARDS. SHORT 'Apollo in Retrograde' (_Analog_ 11/23) by Rosemary Claire Smith. LONG _Cahokia Jazz_ by Francis Spufford. [SHS]

SICK LIST. The count of members reporting positive Covid tests via Discord passed 100 on 15 August and 150 on 19 August; posts elsewhere suggest a
total of around 200. Victims, some already recovered, included Lauren
Beukes, Pat Cadigan, Aliette de Bodard, Roz Kaveney, Mary Robinette Kowal,
Nick Lowe, Charles Stross, Geri Sullivan and Lisa Tuttle.

SEC SECURITY THEATRE. 'The queue is only for bags, if you do not have a bag please just walk past ... unless you have suspicious pockets. They search
you for suspicious pockets.' (Glasgow 2024 Discord)


### E=MC2 -- OR BUST ###

IAIN M. BANKS's galactic Culture and its SC executive arm were explained in
a Glasgow Worldcon panel: 'The members of the Culture who join Special Circumstances are a tiny, freakish minority. Like Worldcon members who
choose to attend the Business Meeting.' [AN]

STEPHEN KING enjoyed a classic Zen moment of enlightenment: 'I was in a bookstore and they were throwing my novels around. Couldn't figure out why. Then IT hit me.' (Xitter, 27 July)

IAN MACDONALD, on another Glasgow panel, put us in our place: 'No sonnet of Shakespeare's is as magnificent as a tiger ... or a tapeworm, just to get
away from the anthropocentric view.' (via Discord)

KEN MACLEOD observed at Worldcon that when US authors invented cyberpunk, British sf still 'sort of smelt of boiled cabbage'. [LE] All sympathy to
Ken for the sad loss of Carol, his wife since 1981, on 16 August.

TERRY PRATCHETT's biography _A Life with Footnotes_, officially by Rob
Wilkins, was co-written by ghostwriter Giles Smith according to a story in _Private Eye_ (2 August). The _Eye_ calls the book's 2023 nonfiction Hugo
'a prestigious bauble Pratchett himself never managed to secure'. That is,
he withdrew _Going Postal_ in 2005 to avoid general award stress. (_A218_)

CHRIS PRIEST would no doubt have laughed rather a lot if he knew his
(excellent by all accounts) Glasgow memorial panel would attract a serious query about whether the author would be present to sign books.

NICHOLAS WHYTE's Hugo administrator report contains this deadpan note: '_Northanger Abbey_, by Jane Austen, received a single nominating vote for
Best Novel. We did not rule on its eligibility, as it was nowhere near the
top six nominees in this category (or even in the top two hundred), but any such ruling would have been negative.'


### CONTRAPOSAUNE ###

7 Sep [] EDGE-LIT 10, QUAD Centre, Market Place, Derby. GBP35 reg plus GBP1 booking fee. See www.derbyquad.co.uk/events/edgelit10/.

7 Sep [] FIGHTING FANTASY FEST 5, Univ of West London, Ealing. GBP45 reg;
YA GBP20. See www.fightingfantasy.com/fighting-fantasy-fest-5.

14 Sep [] POPCORN (media), Magna, Sheffield. Tickets GBP12; under-17s
GBP9.50; accompanied under-7s free. See popcorncon.com.

14-22 Sep [] SCI-FI LONDON (film), Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Rd, London (14th only) and online (all days). See sci-fi-london.com.

20-22 Sep [] DRACULA FILM FESTIVAL, QUAD Centre, Derby. GBP60 reg; GBP50 concessions. See www.derbyquad.co.uk/season-festival/ukdracula/.

27-29 Sep [] LAKES INTERNATIONAL COMIC ART FESTIVAL, Bowness-on-Windermere. Details to follow at www.comicartfestival.com.

28 Sep [] INNSMOUTH LITERARY FESTIVAL, Kings House Centre, 245 Ampthill Rd, Bedford MK42 9AZ. 10am-5pm. GBP30 reg; GBP10 evening only. More at innsmouthgold.com/innsmouth-literary-festival.

28-29 Sep [] NOR-CON (media), Norfolk Showground Arena. GBP17.50 reg
(10:30am); GBP21.50 early entry (9:30). More at www.nor-con.co.uk.

29 Sep [] FANTASY & SCI-FI SPOTLIGHT, The Nerdy Cafe, Shrewsbury. 11am-7pm.
See www.fantasyandscifispotlight.co.uk.

3-6 Oct [] GRIMMFEST (film), Odeon Great Northern, Manchester. Full pass
for all screenings GBP79.99 plus fees at grimmfest.com.

5-6 Oct [] OCTOCON, Gibson Hotel, Dublin. Euro65 reg; concessions Euro40; YA/virtual/supp Euro20; under-13s free. See octocon.com.

11-13 Oct [] FANTASYCON, Queen at Chester Hotel, Chester. GBP85 reg. See britishfantasysociety.org/events-calendar/fantasycon-2024.

26 Oct [] COMIC CON HALLOWEEN, Haydock Racecourse. 10am-4pm. GBP11; ticket
link for junior rates at www.ljeventsentertainment.com.

1-3 Nov [] GLASGOW 2024, BACK TO OUR FUTURES, free online for Glasgow
Worldcon attending and virtual members: tinyurl.com/2earcc4d.

2-5 Jul 2026 [] METROPOLCON (Eurocon), 'silent green' Kulturquartier,
Berlin. Euro95 reg; reduced Euro75; under-12s Euro5. See
www.metropolcon.eu.

27-31 Aug 2026 [] LACON V, Anaheim Convention Center and hotels in Anaheim, California. GoH Barbara Hambly, Ronald D. Moore, Colleen Doran, Dr. Anita Sengupta, Tim Kirk, Geri Sullivan, Stan Sakai. $200 reg; $175 first
Worldcon; $125 YA (18-24); $100 teen (13-17); $50 child (6-12); infants
free. $50 WSFS membership only. More at www.lacon.org.

RUMBLINGS. _Worldcon 2025._ Seattle is adding a one-off Hugo category for speculative poetry.
_Satellite 9_ (Glasgow) will be in May 2026. Details to follow at satellitex.org.uk.
_Worldcon 2028._ The KampCon bid for Uganda has relaunched as
ConKigali with a new venue: Kigali, Rwanda.


### INFINITELY IMPROBABLE ###

AS OTHERS RESEARCH US. 'It is Octavia E. Butler (1947-2006), the first
Black science fiction author and Afro-Futurist pioneer, who got me
interested in actually reading the genre ...' (_The Daily Heller_, 14
August) [AIP]

AWARDS. _European SF Society Grand Master:_ Ian Watson.
_Munsey_ (pulp): Gene Christie. [F770]
_Mythopoeic:_ ADULT _Ink, Blood, Sister, Scribe_ by Emma Torzs. YA _Unraveller_ by Frances Hardinge. CHILDREN'S _Moth Keeper_ by K. O'Neill. SCHOLARSHIP/INKLINGS _Law, Government, and Society in J.R.R. Tolkien's
Works_ by Jose Maria Miranda Boto. SCHOLARSHIP/OTHER _An Introduction to Fantasy_ by Matthew Sangster.
_World Fantasy Life Achievement:_ Ginjer Buchanan and Jo Fletcher. For
the full WFA shortlist see locusmag.com/2024/08/2024-world-fantasy-awards-finalists/.

PLAUSIBLE TEXT MESSAGE. 'Hello friend this is frank herbert who wrote the
novel dune. I lost my credit card and need money to finish writing my
notes. Can you send me $1500 in Amazon gift cards.' [CB]

R.I.P. _John Aprea_ (1941-2024), US actor in _The Stepford Wives_ (1975), _Cyber Tracker_ (1994), and _The Manchurian Candidate_ (2004), died on 5
August aged 83. [LP]
_Aleksandr Byalko_ (1952-2024), Russian physicist, tv personality and radio host whose sf novel is _Roman s fizikoy ili Za vsekh otvechayet
Lyubov_ (_Romance with Physics, or, Lyubov Is Responsible for Everything_, 2008), died on 23 August. [AM]
_Boris Bystrov_ (1945-2024), Russian actor in _Volshebnaya lampa
Aladdina_ (_Aladdin's Lamp_, 1967) who dubbed _Babylon 5_, _Futurama_,
_Return of the Jedi_ and others, died on 18 August aged 79. [AM]
_Jim Caughran_ (1940-2024), US fan active in fanzines and APAs since
the 1950s, and founding editor of the online _Fancyclopedia 3_, died on 6 August aged 83. [CP]
_Barry Coker_ (1934-2024), co-founder of the Bardon Art agency that represented many Spanish and South American comics artists including Carlos Ezquerra of _Judge Dredd_ fame, has died. As a former Fleetway
editor/writer, he once scripted a Rick Random space detective comic for
their _Super Detective Library_. [SH]
_Charles Cyphers_ (1939-2024), US actor in _Halloween_ (1978 plus sequels), _The Fog_ (1980), _Escape from New York_ (1981) and others, died
on 4 August aged 85. [SJ]
_Alain Delon_ (1935-2024), French actor in the Poe-based _Tales of
Mystery and Imagination_ (1968), _Le passage_ (1986), _Asterix at the
Olympic Games_ (2008) and others, died on 18 August aged 88. [SJ]
_Sergio Donati_ (1933-2024), Italian screenwriter for _Mission
Stardust_ (1967), _Holocaust 2000_ (1977), _Island of Mutations_ (1979) and others, died on 13 August aged 91. [SJ]
_M.J. [Mary Jane] Engh_ (1933-2024), US author best known for her
powerful debut novel _Arslan_ (1976; reissued as _A Wind from Bukhara_),
died on 11 July aged 91. (SFWA) [GVG]
_Karel Hermanek_ (1947-2024), Czech actor in _Give the Devil His Due_ (1984, as Lucifer), shot himself on 24 August; he was 76.
_Margaret Jones_ (1918-2024), noted Welsh artist who illustrated the _Mabinogion_ legends and created a much-loved map of mythic Wales, died on
23 July aged 105. [LW]
_Kim Kahana_ (1929-2024), US stuntman in _Planet of the Apes_ (1968),
_The Omega Man_ (1971), _Soylent Green_ (1973) and many more, died on 12
August aged 94. [SJ]
_Albert Kallis_ (1925-2024), US artist who created many lurid posters
for such films as _The Amazing Colossal Man_, _Attack of the Crab
Monsters_, _Creature from the Black Lagoon_, _I Was a Teenage Frankenstein/Werewolf_ and _Reptilicus_, died on 8 July aged 98. [SJ]
_Greg Kihn_ (1949-2024), US musician/songwriter who published four
horror novels beginning with _Horror Show_ (1996), died on 13 August aged
75. [SJ]
_Peter Marshall_ (1926-2024), US game show host and actor in _Rabbit
Test_ (1978), _Americathon_ (1979) and genre tv series, died on 15 August
aged 98. [LP]
_Nick Mills_, UK fan active since the 1970s, contributing to APA-B and working on Novacons (he chaired the 1991 event) and Eastercons, was found
dead at home in late August. [FD]
_Janet Morris_ (1946-2024), prolific US author and anthologist whose
first novel _High Couch of Silistra_ (1977) opened a tetralogy, and who was active in military sf and several shared-world enterprises, died on 10
August aged 78. [GVG]
_Zakhar Oskotsky_ (1947-2024), Russian inventor and author of the dystopian _Poslednyaya bashnya Troi_ (_The Last Tower of Troy_, 2004) and _Utrenniy, rozovyy vek_ (_A Morning Rosy Age_, 2012), died on 21 August.
[AM]
_Peter Pracownik_, UK New Age fantasy artist whose work appeared on posters, music albums and card packs including the 1997 _Lord of the Rings Tarot_ -- and is collected in _The Enchanted World of Peter Pracownik_
(2004) -- died in August aged 72. [LW]
_Gena Rowlands_ (1930-2024), US actress in _The Skeleton Key_ (2005)
and genre tv series, died on 14 August aged 94. [SJ]
_Angel Salazar_ (1956-2024), Cuban-US comedian and actor in _Maniac
Cop 2_ (1990) and _Vamp Bikers Dos/Tres_ (2015, 2016), died on 11 August
aged 68. [SJ]
_George Schenck_ (1942-2024) US producer/writer whose script credits include _Superbeast_ (1972, also as producer), _Futureworld_ (1976), _Deathmoon_ (1978) and genre tv series, died on 3 August aged 82. [SJ]
_Robert Sidaway_, UK producer, writer and actor, in _Doctor Who_ 1966-1968, who wrote and produced the tv series _The World of Hammer_
(1994) and the Corman-focused _Cult-Tastic_ (2019), died on 16 August. He
also co-wrote _Into the Rainbow_ (2017).
_Fran Skene_ (1937-2024), Canadian fan and convention-runner who was
GoH at several cons and won CUFF in 2019, died on 15 July aged 86. [BL]
_Carl-Eddy Skovgaard_ (1951-2024), Danish fan active in conrunning and
the Danish Fan Association and Science Fiction Cirklen -- for the latter editing 150+ books including the anthology _Lige under overfladen_ (_Just
Below the Surface_, 19 volumes since 2007), died on 31 July aged 73. [ND]
_Jeremy Strong_ (1949-2024), UK children's author whose 100+ books
include fantasy (_There's a Pharaoh in Our Bath!_, 1995) and sf (_Doctor Bonkers!_, 2010), died on 4 August aged 74.
_Jeff Suter_, UK fan and comics expert whose fanzine was _Periphery_ (1979-1984) and who in 1980 co-founded the South Hants SF Group of which he
was a stalwart, died on 16 August aged 70. [JFWR]
_Atsuko Tanaka_ (1962-2024), Japanese voice actress best known for
_Ghost in the Shell_ (1995 film plus many sequels and spinoffs), died on 20 August aged 61. She also featured in the _Mobile Suit Gundam_ franchise.
[LP]
_Taral Wayne_ (1951-2024), major Canadian fan artist who received the
2008 Rotsler award for life achievement in fanzine art and was fan GoH at
the 2009 Worldcon, died on 31 July aged 72. [SB] His many fanzines included
the newszine _DNQ_ (1978-1984 with Victoria Vayne); he co-founded Ditto and
ran various other cons; he drew professionally for furry and other comics;
I'm grateful for his occasional fine artwork in my own fanzines including _Ansible_.
_Patti Yasutake_ (1953-2024), US actress in _Star Trek: The Next Generation_ (1990-1994) and its spinoff films, died on 5 August aged 70.
[AIP]
_Konstantin Zagorsky_ (1933-2024), Russian film production designer
for the sf _Moscow-Cassiopeia_ (1973), _Teens in the Universe_ (1974) and
_Per Aspera Ad Astra_ (1981), plus children's fantasy films, died on 18
August aged 91. [AM]

RANDOM FANDOM. _The British Fantasy Society_ pondered the wicked
social-media suggestion that it didn't look good for its own secretary
David Green to have five BFS Award shortlistings in four different
categories, and decided there was no problem. [SJ/F770]
_The Glasgow WSFS Business Meeting_ is not summarized here. From the volume of later commentary, the most controversial motion passed was yet another attempt to define once and for all the difference between Pro and
Fan Artist Hugo qualifications. See file770.com/the-evolution-of-the-art-hugo-categories/.

COURT CIRCULAR. UK comics creator Scott Richold of Superbabies Ltd
challenged DC's and Marvel's joint trademark (since 1979/1980) on the term 'superhero' and all its variants, arguing that the companies themselves use
it as 'a generic descriptor that fails to function as a trademark'. Since
DC and Marvel failed to respond by the legal deadline -- as extended by
their own request to 24 July -- Superbabies has asked the US court for a default judgment in its favour. (Bleeding Cool, 13 August) [MS]

SFWA is in upheaval, with two presidents resigning in August, further
employee and committee resignations and expulsions, a general lack of communication from the board, and explanations from those in the know
blocked by an internal culture of non-disclosure agreements that fail to specify what can and can't be disclosed. [F770] Voting in a special
election for a new president and secretary begins in October. No rush
then....

FANFUNDERY. The live auction at Glasgow 2024 raised GBP4,420.20
(GBP4,390.47 after card fees etc) for League of Fan Funds causes. Gerard Quinn's original cover painting for _New Worlds_ 26 (1954) went for
GBP1,500 and a stained glass panel by Bob Shaw (_circa_ 1980) for GBP250.
[SB] With GBP603.52 from the silent auction and yet more from table sales
and donations, the net total was GBP6,664.48 plus US$120. Further details
in the August LFF newsletter at lff.ansible.uk/news/LFF-202408.pdf.

THE DEAD PAST. _30 Years Ago_, Californian book dealer Barry R. Levin
offered '"THE MOST HORRIFYING COPY OF ANY VAMPIRE NOVEL" ... Poppy Z.
Brite's _Drawing Blood_, which, thanks to the helpful chap who committed suicide by setting himself on fire with a Molotov cocktail right next to a mailbox containing copies of the book's limited edition, can now be offered
in the rare state "Odor of burning human flesh otherwise fine in slipcase". Only $600.00!' (_Ansible_ 86, September 1994)
_50 Years Ago_, new frontiers were attained: 'EROTICA FROM OUTER SPACE
is the title of an article by Brian Aldiss in the June issue of
_Penthouse_. It's a bit insipid and goes nowhere near analysing sex in SF.' (_Checkpoint_ 53, September 1974)

SMALL PRESS. Canadian horror publisher DarkLit Press has collapsed, with website and social media accounts dead while authors complain in public
about unpaid royalties etc. (_Publishers Weekly_, 12 August) [AIP]

THOG'S MASTERCLASS. _Fortunately It's a Spaceship._ 'The _Eros_ sent a tentative spurt shooting from its tubes'. (Lester del Rey, _Marooned on
Mars_, 1952) [AR]
_Nominal Determinism?_ 'The smile slipped from William Svensen's face,
and his eyes darted suddenly toward Jeff Foldingchair.' (_Ibid_) [AR]
_Neat Tricks._ 'His scrawny, dry fingers dribbled over the sheet
edge.' (Richard Matheson, _To Fit The Crime_ (1952) [BA]
_Looking Daggers, Redux._ 'The jade eyes stabbed up, demolishing.' (_Ibid_) [BA] 'Brent's knifelike eyes sliced out at Jones.' (Ivar Jorgensen [Paul Fairman], _The Deadly Sky_, 1971) [AR]
_True Romance._ 'Her chest had equipment that was a haven of rest
under trying circumstances ...' 'His vicious denuding gesture left her completely naked.' 'He looked at her naked body, as nude and as hot as a deprived mink.' (_Ibid_) [AR]


### GEEKS' CORNER ###

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More details, and an ALTERNATIVE LIST subscription form for those averse to Google, on this page (which is also where to unsubscribe from the
alternative list, hosted at ansible.uk):
https://news.ansible.uk/asubs.html
Home page -- https://news.ansible.uk/
RSS feed -- https://news.ansible.uk/rss.html
LiveJournal syndication -- http://www.livejournal.com/users/ansiblezine/
Back issues -- https://news.ansible.uk/aseries2.html
Printable PDFs -- https://news.ansible.uk/pdf/
Email the editor -- https://news.ansible.uk/contact.php
Books Received -- https://ansible.uk/books.php

CONVENTION AND EVENT LINKS
British Isles -- https://news.ansible.uk
London -- https://news.ansible.uk/london.html
Overseas -- https://news.ansible.uk/conlisti.html [no longer updated]


### ENDNOTES ###

PAYPAL TIP JAR THINGY. Donate to support _Ansible_, cover website costs and keep the editor happy! Or just buy his books.
https://ansible.uk/paypal.html
https://ae.ansible.uk/
https://ansible.uk/books/index.html

GROUP THEORY.
19 September 2024, evening: London Zoom meeting, third Thursday of
each month. 'Please share this with people who you know typically come to
the Bishop's Finger, but aren't on Facebook.' https://bohemiancoast.medium.com/first-thursday-london-sf-fan-virtual-drinks-5232021e961f

EDITORIAL. I'm very grateful to Claire Brialey and Mark Plummer for representing me at the First Fandom awards and reading my traditionally inadequate acceptance: 'I must admit I'm utterly gobsmacked. With hardly
more than fifty years of fan activity under my belt, I never expected to gatecrash the hallowed portals of First Fandom. It's like being invited to
join the Mary Shelley writers' workshop, or even the Cosmic Circle! Maybe
next I'll track down the legendary Second Fandom that Hugo Gernsback set up
at the other end of the galaxy to guard his thousand-year plan and ensure
that what we read is forever called "scientifiction". Seriously: thank you
very much indeed.' Further thanks to Steve Davies for transporting the
award plaque and delivering it mere minutes before this issue went to
press....

R.I.P. II -- LATE REPORT: _Corey Yuen Kwai_ (1951-2022), Hong Kong actor, director, action choreographer and stuntman whose films include _Zu:
Warriors of the Magic Mountain_ (1983), _Spooky Spooky_ (1988), _Saviour of
the Soul_ (1991 plus sequel) and _Ghost Punting_ (1992), died in 2022 -- as
was only recently announced). [K]

MAGAZINE SCENE. The first issue of the relaunched _Galaxy Science Fiction_ (#263, August 2024) can be read online without charge at ... https://galaxysf.com/

RANDOM FANDOM II. _Liz Batty, John Coxon and Alison Scott_ announced in _Octothorpe_ 117 that they are recusing themselves from the best fancast category for the 2025 Hugos. 'Please go and nominate other fantastic
fancasts ...' https://octothorpe.podbean.com/e/117-you-made-that-joke-last-time-john/ https://github.com/johncoxon/octothorpe/blob/main/Transcripts/Octothorpe_117.srt

SOME LINKS from the _Ansible_ home page.
British Fantasy Awards finalists https://britishfantasysociety.org/british-fantasy-awards-shortlists/
ESFS Awards
https://file770.com/2024-esfs-awards/
Neil Gaiman allegations continue https://muccamukk.dreamwidth.org/1678972.html
Hugo administrator's report and statistics https://glasgow2024.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/2024_hugo_admin_report.pdf https://glasgow2024.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/2024_hugo_statistics.pdf
Pre-Worldcon GUFF newsletter
https://taff.org.uk/guff/AllThatGUFF.pdf
Taral remembered by Schirm
https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/10933833/
Worldcon newsletter: _The Unicorn_
https://glasgow2024.org/newsletter/

THOG'S GOLDEN OLDIES from _Ansible_ 206, September 2004. _Spare Parts
Dept._ 'Britt pushed her capri pants down over her sweeping hips. After
peeling off her long, shapely legs, she straightened and stretched her nude body luxuriously.' (Adam Coulter, _Debauchee_, 1963)
_Strange Gestation Dept._ 'Jenella was Natalon's wife. As she was very pregnant, Sis had stood in for her ever since the families had moved up to
the Camp, six months ago.' (Anne & Todd McCaffrey, _Dragon's Kin_, 2003).
_Neat Tricks Dept._ 'My tongue clove to the roof of my mouth, but I managed the one word, "Immortality!"' (Milton Lesser, _Secret of the Black Planet_, 1965)


_Ansible_(R) 446 (C) David Langford, 2024. Thanks to Brian Ameringen,
Steven Baldassarra, Sandra Bond, Chaz Brenchley, Niels Dalgaard, Fran Dowd, Lilian Edwards, _File 770_, Steve Holland, Steve Jones, Kari, Bria Light, Andrey Meshavkin, Abigail Nussbaum, Lawrence Person, Curt Phillips, Andrew
I. Porter, John F.W. Richards, Adam Roberts, Mark Shainblum, Steven H
Silver, Gordon Van Gelder, Liz Williams, and our Hero Distributors: Durdles Books (Birmingham SF Group newsletter), SCIS/Prophecy and Alan Stewart (Australia).

30 August 2024
--
David Langford | http://ansible.uk/ | http://news.ansible.uk/

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