ANSIBLE(R) 424
NOVEMBER 2022

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,
Eyes of Rhynn, Hands of Kwll or conjunctions of the million spheres.

[NET NOTE. See https://news.ansible.uk/a424.html for the nice HTML version;
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### THE RITUALS OF INFINITY ###

THE INKLINGS GROUP's plan to save the Lamb and Flag in Oxford -- one of the
original Inklings' regular pubs, closed by coronavirus in 2021 (see
_Ansible_ 412) -- has succeeded. It reopened on 7 October. (BBC, October)

BRIAN STABLEFORD dismayed me with a news release: 'Following an illness
Brian Stableford spent two months in hospital with kidney failure. Since
release is unable to read, write or walk (or type). Not yet dead but might
as well be. RIP.' (Email, 19 October) A later and more cheery message notes
that he has very good carers. Hoping for better news....

BORYS SYDIUK of Kyiv expressed his dismay that 'Wordcon-2023's GoH Sergei
Lukianenko celebrates the Russian missile attack on Ukraine and hails the
murder of Ukrainian civilians. / The Russian young-adult SF author Sergei
Lukianenko says in his post that all Ukrainians are fascists and should be
murdered. After the mass attack of Russian terrorists on Ukrainian cities
and civilian infrastructure on October 10, he made a post hailing the
destruction of power plants, heat suppliers, and other civilian
infrastructure: "Finally, I wish it would be so in February, deliberately
and ruthlessly, fascist scum should go to hell," meaning all Ukrainians.'
(Facebook, 12 October) Even Western members of the Chengdu Worldcon
committee prefer not to comment on their guest's fulminations. Of the
remaining guests, Liu Cixin of China has publicly supported Chinese mass
internment of Muslim Uighurs in Xinjiang while Canada's Robert Sawyer seems
blithely unconcerned about sharing a platform with the other two.

CECILIA TAN was sceptical about email from 'E C Publishing LLC' offering to
'introduce your book to literary agents, booksellers, and major traditional
publishing companies' (false assumptions being that Tan has no agent and is
self-published), and announced this scepticism on Twitter. A mere eight
months later came a stroppy text message, from the EC Legal Team: 'You have
between 24 and 48 hours to delete your post; otherwise legal action will be
taken.' Tan's query 'Is it normal for a "legal team" to threaten via text?'
was met with a chorus of negatives (Twitter, 28 October). Writer Beware
looked at EC in a post on 'Junk Book Marketing' (April 2022). For $499
they'll put two books on a shelf: exposure!

### CONGERIES ###

4-6 Nov [] ARMADACON 2022, Future Inns, Plymouth. GBP35 reg; GBP30
concessions. More at www.armadacon.org.

11-14 Nov [] CAMP SFW, Vauxhall Holiday Park, Great Yarmouth. Tickets
GBP120. See www.scifiweekender.com.

11-13 Nov [] NOVACON 51, Palace Hotel, Buxton. GBP51 reg; couples (wait for
it) GBP102; under-17s GBP12; under-13s free. Day rates GBP15 Friday; GBP25
Saturday; GBP20 Sunday. No sales at the door. See novacon.uk.

12-13 Nov [] COMIC CON, Harrogate Convention Centre. Part of the 7-13
November Thought Bubble comics festival. GBP30 weekend; GBP19/day;
under-12s, over-65s and carers free. See thoughtbubblefestival.com.

19-20 Nov [] STEAMPUNKS IN SPACE, National Space Centre, Leicester.
GBP16.95; child/concessions GBP13.95. See tinyurl.com/bdffvs3d.

27 Nov [] STARS OF TIME (media), Tropicana, Weston-super-Mare. 10am-4:30pm.
GBP9; under-12s, OAP and disabled GBP5; under-4s free. Family of 2+2
children GBP22; 2+3 GBP24. See www.starsoftime.co.uk.

3 Dec [] DRAGONMEET (gaming), Novotel Hammersmith, London. 9am-11pm. Ticket
prices awaited at www.dragonmeet.co.uk.

3-4 Dec [] FOR THE LOVE OF SCI-FI (media), BEC Arena, Stretford,
Manchester. GBP41.25; under-10s GBP13.20. More at fortheloveofsci-fi.com.

3-4 Dec [] WHEN IT CHANGED: WOMEN IN SF/F SINCE 1972 (online conference).
GBP45 reg; GBP30 concessions; day rates GBP30 and GBP20. See the 2
September post at sf-foundation.org/fresh-about.

25-26 Feb 2023 [] SURREY STEAMPUNK CONVIVIAL, Stoneleigh, Epsom. See
bumpandthumper.wixsite.com/steampunkconvivials.

7-10 Apr 2023 [] CONVERSATION (Eastercon), Hilton Metropole, Birmingham
NEC. _Now GBP80 reg; GBP45 concessions; GBP40 supp/online only_. Under-18s
still GBP20 and under-13s GBP5. See conversation2023.org.uk.

22-23 Apr 2023 [] SCI-FI SCARBOROUGH (multimedia), The Spa, Scarborough.
Details are awaited at scifiscarborough.co.uk.

10-12 May 2023 [] GIFCON 2022 (Glasgow University online conference),
'Boundaries and Margins'. See tinyurl.com/472fpk3c.

26-28 May 2023 [] SATELLITE 8, Crowne Plaza, Glasgow. GBP70 reg; under-25s
GBP60; under-18s GBP20; under-12s GBP5; under-5s GBP2. _These rates may
rise on 1 December._ See eight.satellitex.org.uk.

2 Jul 2023 [] TOLKIEN SOCIETY SEMINAR, Leeds Hilton and online. Free. See
www.tolkiensociety.org/events/seminar-2023/.

31 Aug - 2 Sep 2023 [] OXONMOOT (Tolkien Society), St Anne's, Oxford. This
is the fiftieth Oxonmoot. Membership rates and online booking awaited at
www.tolkiensociety.org/events/oxonmoot-2023/.

15-17 Sep 2023 [] FANTASYCON 2023, Jury's Inn Hotel, Broad St, Birmingham.
_Now GBP81.50 reg; students GBP66; under-16s GBP41_ (BFS members GBP10
less); under-4s free. See www.hwsevents.co.uk/shop-2.

23-24 Sep 2023 [] NOR-CON (media), Norfolk Showground Arena. Ticket sales
awaited at www.nor-con.co.uk.

31 May - 2 Jun 2024 [] FUNCON ONE, Palace Hotel, Buxton. Still GBP55 for
early-bird membership, _rising to GBP60 on 1 December_. See funcon.lol.

RUMBLINGS. _London First Thursdays._ The Bishop's Finger pub is now booked
to the end of 2023; the extra Christmas 2022 meeting is on 15 December.
[RR]
_The 32nd UK Filk Con_, planned for February 2023, will not be held:
hotel lost and no replacement found, while costs seem likely to become
prohibitive.
_Octocon 2023_ is taking memberships -- adults Euro60 -- at
octocon.com; dates and venue (presumably Dublin) are awaited.

### INFINITELY IMPROBABLE ###

AS OTHERS CITE HARRY POTTER. 'Being Tory Leader is like being Defence
Against the Dark Arts teacher: every idiot fancies a go, nobody lasts long,
and there's a good chance you'll bump into Voldemort's soul.' (Russ Jones,
Twitter, 20 October)

AWARDS. _Arthur C. Clarke:_ _Deep Wheel Orcadia_ by Harry Josephine Giles.
_Booker Prize: The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida_ by Shehan
Karunatilaka, a supernatural novel.
_Ditmar_ (Australia) best novel: _The Bridge_ by J.S. Breukelaar.
_Kitschies:_ NOVEL _The Galaxy, and the Ground Within_ by Becky
Chambers. DEBUT _Temporary_ by Hilary Leichter. COVER ART Julia Lloyd for
_The Seep_ by Chana Porter. SPECIAL Comma Press for anthology series.
_Shirley Jackson:_ NOVEL _My Heart Is a Chainsaw_ by Stephen Graham
Jones. NOVELLA _Flowers for the Sea_ by Zin E. Rocklyn. NOVELETTE 'We, the
Girls Who Did Not Make It' by E.A. Petricone (_Nightmare_ 2/21). SHORT
'You'll Understand When You're a Mom Someday' by Isabel J. Kim (_khoreo_
8/21). COLLECTION _Folk Songs for Trauma Surgeons_ by Keith Rosson.
ANTHOLOGY (tie) _Professor Charlatan Bardot's Travel Anthology_ ed. Eric J.
Guignard; _Unfettered Hexes_ ed. dave ring. SPECIAL Ellen Datlow for _When
Things Get Dark_. [TM]
_Ursula K. Le Guin Prize_ (inaugural): _The House of Rust_ by Khadija
Abdalla Bajaber.

THE CLARKE AWARD's Twitter feed enjoyed a power gloat next day: 'How it
started: Yesterday _Deep Wheel Orcadia_ was somewhere like 281,000 in
Amazon book rankings. / How it's going: Right now it's in the Top 500 and
crushing it in the poetry bestsellers!' (27 October)

PUBLISHERS AND SINNERS. Penguin Random House's merger with Simon & Schuster
has been blocked by a US federal court as likely 'substantially to lessen
competition'. (_Publishers Weekly_, 31 October) [AIP]

AS OTHERS SEE US. 'Stories of the supernatural have been supplanted by
"science fiction." Though the talent of H.G. Wells did in that genre nearly
everything worth undertaking, a flood of "scientific" and "futuristic"
fantasies continues to deluge America. With few exceptions, these writings
are banal and meaningless.' (Russell Kirk, 'A Cautionary Note on the
Ghostly Tale' in _The Surly Sullen Bell_, 1962) [LP]

R.I.P. _Jeff Barnaby_, Candian film-maker who wrote and directed the
zombier movie _Blood Quantum_ (2019), died on 13 October aged 46. [SJ]
_Jules Bass_ (1935-2022), US producer, director and composer with many
genre credits from _The New Adventures of Pinocchio_ (1960) via _The
Hobbit_ (1977) and _The Last Unicorn_ (1982) to _Thundercats_ (1985, 2011,
2020), died on 25 October aged 87. [PDF]
_Robert Brown_ (1926-2022), US actor in _The Flame Barrier_ (1958),
_Tower of London_ (1962) and _Primus_ (1971-1972), died on 19 September
aged 95. [LP]
_Michael Callan_ (1935-2022), US actor in _Frasier, the Sensuous Lion_
(1973), _Dark Dreams_ (1993), _Leprechaun 3_ (1995) and genre tv series
including _Superboy_ (1989-1992), died on 10 October aged 86. [LP/O]
_Robbie Coltrane_ (1950--2022), popular Scots comedian and actor known
for much more than playing Hagrid in all the Harry Potter films
(2001-2011), died on 14 October aged 72. Further genre credits include
_Krull_ (1983), _Blackadder's Christmas Carol_ (1988), _Slipstream_ (1989),
_GoldenEye_ (1995), _Gooby_ (2009), and _The Gruffalo_ (2009).
_Albert E. Cowdrey_ (1933-2022), US author active since 1968 whose
2001 story 'Queen for a Day' won a World Fantasy Award and whose sf novel
is _Crux_ (2004), died on 21 August aged 88. [GVG]
_Ned Dameron_ (1943-2022), US sf/fantasy artist active from the 1970s
who created many covers for Donald M. Grant and Underwood-Miller plus other
publishers, died on 20 October aged 79. [SJ]
_Mike Davis_ (1946-2022), US urban theorist and author whose books for
children include _Land of the Lost Mammoths: A Science Adventure_ (2004),
died on 25 October aged 76. [AIP]
_Drew Ford_, writer of the graphic novel _Steam_ (2020) and founder of
It's Alive Press -- devoted to republishing out-of-print comics -- died on
1 October. [LP]
_Leslie Jordan_ (1955-2022), US actor in _Undead or Alive_ (2007),
_American Horror Story_ (2013-2019) and _The Last Sharknado_ (2018), died
on 24 October aged 67. [AIP]
_Kim Jung-gi_ (1975--2022), South Korean illustrator and comics
artist, died on 3 October aged 47. [PDF]
_Douglas Kirkland_ (1934-2022), Canadian still photographer who worked
on many genre films from _Fahrenheit 451_ (1966) and _2001_ (1968) to
_Fantastic Four_ (2005), died on 2 October aged 88. [SJ]
_Wolfgang Kohlhaase_ (1931-2022), German film director and
screenwriter with a script co-credit for the Stanislaw Lem-based _Der
schweigende Stern_ (_The Silent Star_ aka _First Spaceship on Venus_,
1960), died on 5 October aged 91. [AM]
_Michael Kopsa_ (1956-2022), Canadian actor in _Mobile Suit Gundam_
(1979 English dub plus spinoffs), _Fantastic Four_ (2005), _Watchmen_
(2009), _Rise of the Planet of the Apes_ (2011) and others, died on 23
October aged 66. [PDF/LP]
_Feliks W. Kres_ (Witold Chmielecki, 1966-2022), award-winning Polish
fantasy writer active since 1991, whose novels include the 'Book of the
Whole' sequence, died on 13 October aged 56. [AM]
_Gunter Lamprecht_ (1930-2022), German actor with a genre credit for
_Welt am Draht_ (_World on a Wire_, 1973), died on 4 October aged 92. [AIP]
_Angela Lansbury_ (1925-2022), UK-born actress best known for _Murder,
She Wrote_, whose genre credits include _The Manchurian Candidate_ (1962),
_Bedknobs and Broomsticks_ (1971), _The Company of Wolves_ (1984), _Beauty
and the Beast_ (1991) and _The Grinch_ (2018), died on 11 October aged 96.
[LP]
_Gene Levy_, US producer of _Hysterical_ (1982) and _Waterworld_
(1995), died on 15 October. [SJ]
_Loretta Lynn_ (1932-2022), noted US country music singer with
soundtrack credits for genre tv series, games, and films including _The New
Mutants_ (2020) and _Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin_ (2021), died on 4
October aged 90. [PDF/LP]
_Tom Maddox_ (1945-2022), US cyberpunk author with a 1985 debut in
_Omni_, whose sf novel was _Halo_ (1991), died on 18 October. [PDF]
_Robert (Bob) Madle_ (1920-2022), US fan and book dealer active since
the mid-1930s -- the last surviving member of First Fandom -- died on 8
October aged 102. [CP] He was at the first Worldcon in 1939, won TAFF in
1957 (publishing his trip report as _A Fake Fan in London_) and was fan
guest of honour at the 1977 Worldcon.
_Andrey Martyanov_ (1973-2022), Russian sf/fantasy writer whose 60
novels include 32 (pseudonymous) about Conan the Barbarian, died on 30
October aged 49. [AM]
_Ron Masak_ (1936-2022), US actor in _Laserblast_ (1978), _The Aliens
Are Coming_ (1980), _Angels on Tap_ (2018) and others, died on 20 October
aged 86. [SJ]
_Jill Pinkwater_ (1941-2022), US author and illustrator whose drawings
appeared in many children's chapbooks and picture books by her husband
Daniel Pinkwater, died on 4 October aged 81. [PDF]
_Jan Rabson_ (1954-2022), US voice actor in _Akira_ (1988), _Toy
Story_ (1995 plus sequels) and many more, died on 14 October aged 68. [SJ]
_Larry Rew_ (1947-2022), UK actor whose films include _The Fellowship
of the Ring_ (2001) and _Underworld: Rise of the Lycans_ (2009), died on 5
August aged 75. [AIP]
_Delia Rossi_ (1980-2022), Russian author of 20 romantic fantasy
novels, died on 14 October. [AM]
_Eileen Ryan_ (1927-2022), US actress in _Eight Legged Freaks_ (2002)
and _Feast_ (2005), died on 9 October aged 94. [LP]
_Peter Siragusa_ (1955-2022), US voice actor in _Dinosaur_ (2000) and
_Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs_ (2009), died on 11 October aged 67.
_Austin Stoker_ (1930-2022), Trinidad-born actor in _Horror High_
(1973), _Battle for the Planet of the Apes_ (1973), _Time Walker_ (1982)
and genre tv series, died on 7 October aged 92. [PDF]
_Judy Tenuta_ (1949-2022), US actress in _Monsters on Main Street_
(2014), _Scales: Mermaids are Rea[l]_ (2017) and _There's No Such Thing as
Vampires_ (2020), died on 6 October aged 72. [LP]
_Dennis Virkler_ (1941-2022), US film editor with many genre credits
from _The Picture of Dorian Gray_ (1973) via _Independence Day_ (1983) and
_The Chronicles of Riddick_ (2004) to _The Wolfman_ (2010), died on 15
September aged 80. [SJ]
_Jeff Weiss_ (1940-2022), US actor in _Mr Destiny_ (1990), died on 18
September aged 82. [PDF]
_Ted White_ (1926-2022), US actor and stuntman (_not_ the fan, author
and editor) behind Jason's mask in _Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter_
(1984), died on 14 October aged 96. Other films include _Escape from New
York_ (1981) and _Starman_ (1984). [SJ]
_Ian Whittaker_ (1928-2022), UK actor in _Revenge of Frankenstein_
(1958) and _Frankenstein Unbound_ (1990) -- also a set decorator for
_Alien_ (1979) -- died on 16 October aged 94.
_Jay Wilburn_, US horror and YA fantasy author whose first book was
_The Dragonfly and the Siren_ (2013) with T. Fox Dunham, was reported in
October as having died. [PDF]
_Ralf Wolter_ (1926-2022), German actor with genre credits for
_Dracula Blows His Cool_ (1979) and the tasteful _Killer Condom_ (1996),
died on 14 October aged 95. [SJ]

In message <msk2mh5jb4ge9i4dud74plbr0kp6jl8c12@4ax.com>, David Langford
<ansible@cix.co.uk> writes
<snip>
>THE WEAKEST LINK. _Q:_ 'Which children's author was named after the
>explorer Roald Amundsen?' _A:_ 'Enid Blyton.' (ITV, _The Chase_)
> _Q:_ 'In the films _Frankenstein_ and _Bride of Frankenstein_,
>which Boris played Frankenstein's monster?' _A:_ 'Boris Johnson.'
>(BBC1, _The Tournament_) [PE]

LOL! He certainly has the hair for it.
--
John Hall
"Home is heaven and orgies are vile,
But you *need* an orgy, once in a while."
Ogden Nash (1902-1971)

John Hall <john@jhall.co.uk> wrote:
> David Langford <ansible@cix.co.uk> writes
>> _Q:_ 'In the films _Frankenstein_ and _Bride of Frankenstein_,
>> which Boris played Frankenstein's monster?' _A:_ 'Boris Johnson.'
>> (BBC1, _The Tournament_) [PE]

> LOL! He certainly has the hair for it.

More challenging is the trick question about the first (1931) movie,
"Who played the title character?" Most people say "Boris Karloff"
if they say anything. The correct answer is Colin Clive.
--
Keith F. Lynch - http://keithlynch.net/
Please see http://keithlynch.net/email.html before emailing me.

On 11/1/22 4:03 PM, Keith F. Lynch wrote:
> John Hall <john@jhall.co.uk> wrote:
>> David Langford <ansible@cix.co.uk> writes
>>> _Q:_ 'In the films _Frankenstein_ and _Bride of Frankenstein_,
>>> which Boris played Frankenstein's monster?' _A:_ 'Boris Johnson.'
>>> (BBC1, _The Tournament_) [PE]
>
>> LOL! He certainly has the hair for it.
>
> More challenging is the trick question about the first (1931) movie,
> "Who played the title character?" Most people say "Boris Karloff"
> if they say anything. The correct answer is Colin Clive.

It wasn't the first. There was a short silent movie in 1910 called
Frankenstein, very loosely based on the novel. Augustus Phillips played
the title role and Charles Ogle was the monster.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZ-OrfJHHro
--
Gary McGath http://www.mcgath.com

Gary McGath <garym@REMOVEmcgathREMOVE.com> wrote:
> Keith F. Lynch wrote:
>> John Hall <john@jhall.co.uk> wrote:
>>> David Langford <ansible@cix.co.uk> writes
>>>> _Q:_ 'In the films _Frankenstein_ and _Bride of Frankenstein_,
>>>> which Boris played Frankenstein's monster?' _A:_ 'Boris Johnson.'
>>>> (BBC1, _The Tournament_) [PE]

>>> LOL! He certainly has the hair for it.

>> More challenging is the trick question about the first (1931) movie,
>> "Who played the title character?" Most people say "Boris Karloff"
>> if they say anything. The correct answer is Colin Clive.

> It wasn't the first. There was a short silent movie in 1910 called
> Frankenstein, very loosely based on the novel. Augustus Phillips
> played the title role and Charles Ogle was the monster.

Sigh. By "first" I meant the first of the two movies mentioned.
(The title character of the second movie mentioned was played by Elsa
Lanchester.) But then I realized some might misinterpret it as you
did, so I put the release year in parens to clarify exactly what movie
I was speaking of. It's no fair to pretend you misunderstood anyway.
--
Keith F. Lynch - http://keithlynch.net/
Please see http://keithlynch.net/email.html before emailing me.