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« NYRSF Editorial 182Fall 2003: Pileup | Main | NYRSF Editorial 185: Neither Snow, Nor Sleet, Nor Freezing Rain »

Thursday, October 16, 2003

NYRSF Editorial 184:
Life¹s Bright Colors

I have a new digital camera, a Canon A80, that I am still learning to use, and have been taking pictures for the last three weeks, of the family, the World Fantasy Convention, and Windycon. See picture above, and elsewhere in this issue. A sampling in color can be seen at Kathryn¹s blog . And most of the pictures in the magazine will now be purely digital until they actually hit the printed page‹we switched to digital delivery of the magazine some months ago. Thus far I am very satisfied with the picture quality and am keeping my fingers crossed in the hope of superior print reproduction.

I have been grateful for the distraction of the new camera while going through another month of recuperation and three-times-a-week physical therapy, and various other difficulties and upsets. The camera did not arrive until a week after the end of Albacon, and because of complicated family travel plans, Kathryn drove separately to Albacon with the kids, and forgot our regular camera. So although we had a glorious sunny fall weekend in the heart of Adirondack foliage, and took a tour of Lake George Village with Hal Clement before taking him to a sunset dinner lakeside Sunday night, we took no pictures. He said he was finished with the third chapter of his next novel, Credit Rating I think he was going to call it, in the same sf setting as his novella "Exchange Rate," and would finish or report on progress to me at Boskone in February. His new novel, Noise, was recently published and had a cover illustration that particularly pleased him. We will miss him. Everyone in the sf world has to deal with the aesthetic he established for hard sf, even if they reject it utterly. He defined one of the poles of the genre. I hope NESFA decides to do a final collection of his later work, which was significant.

I take little pleasure in telling you all that life has otherwise has not been terribly smooth, either. At the World Fantasy Con, which was otherwise marvelous, I was called by hotel security to remove my car from the hotel parking garage immediately on Friday, because of a gas leak. After much time had been consumed, I arrived home late Monday night with a new $700 gas tank. I had just bought four new tires the week before, and the car drove well, so I was unprepared when three days after WFC, on the morning of the day we were to fly to Windycon, one tire went flat and had to be replaced at full cost (never mind). Windycon was a fine convention marred only by what we older con fans sometimes call the old Boskone problem or the Disclave problem‹party-driven fans and non-fans misbehaving. Search Kathryn¹s weblog for more information. If they don¹t take care of it, it will only be a matter of time. . . . And here in the heart of peaceful semi-rural suburbia last Thursday, two hapless gunmen knocked on one of our neighbors¹ doors and robbed them. They escaped with a small amount of cash, but the neighborhood was full of police with rifles and shotguns for hours. All this, and our government launched Operation Ninnyhammer in Iraq, too. As I say, I was really glad for the distractions of the new camera.

This issue will be followed quickly by the next, and the one after, and then perhaps there will be a longer-than-usual gap of five or six weeks between issues, because Kathryn and I are going to Brisbane for the latter part of January while I teach for a week at Clarion South, and thence to Melbourne, Sidney, and New Zealand. We¹ll be back just in time for Boskone. We¹ll miss Confusion this year because of the trip, but will be fan guests there in 2005.

Thursday, October 16, 2003 |

About David G. Hartwell

Praise for
David G. Hartwell


  • The Science Fiction Century

    "Over the past quarter century, Hartwell has built a well-deserved reputation in SF, fantasy and horror as an editor extraordinaire. In addition to discovering many of the leading luminaries in the genre, he has produced a pool of anthologies that attept to stand as definitive volumes. The Science Fiction Century is another such successful landmark collection."—Publishers Weekly

    "A superb survey for the uninitiated and a definitive sampler for confirmed fans."—Booklist

    "This ranks as one of the definitive anthologies of the genre—and it makes the perfect introduction to the field of science fiction. . . . The Science Fiction Century shows great breadth and range. . . . Editor Hartwell succeeds by including a wide range of authors, styles, and themes."—The Des Moines Register

    "This is a book filled with familiar treasures and a great way to introduce a skeptic to the field."—Science Fiction Chronicle

    Visions of Wonder

    "This volume demonstrates the fact that science fiction is alive and well in the ’90s. . . . The editors are to be congratulated for producing work that will be useful both within the classroom and without. But even more remarkable is how much fun it is to read. They have gathered a collection of contemporary stories that is challenging, engaging, provocative, but above all rewarding. . . . The result is a delight for fans of the genre as well as a treasure trove for teachers. . . . Visions of Wonder is a fine addition of any science fiction collection."—VOYA

    "A historic anthology of great value."—The Edmonton Journal

    "The editors know their stuff. . . . Is this an anthology which you would recomend to a person who has never read any science fiction? The answer is a resounding yes from all corners. If you yourself have wondered what you might have missed over the past twenty years, then you may want to at least take a look at the table of contents. If you have a friend or a relative who keeps asking you why you read that ‘SF’ stuff, then toss this at them. Hartwell and Wolf set out to create an anthology that would represent the field and they ended up producing something that not only does that, but is fun to read to boot."—Age of Wonder

    Northern Stars

    "Canadian sf is clearly a force to be reckoned with. . . . Cross the border—though it’s only the next country over, Canadian sf offers some unique pleasures you won’t find at home."—The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction

    "Northern Stars is a great opportunity to experience that distinctive other North American point of view."—The Washington Post Book World

    "Replete with some of the best SF to be published anywhere in the last ten years. . . . As a primer on where Canadian scinece fiction and fantasy, Northern Stars is unbeatable."—SF Site

    Northern Suns

    "Pleasingly eclectic and worth a try for story fans."—Kirkus Reviews

    "Demonstrate[s] the vitality and eclectic thrust of Canada’s brightest and best authors of speculative fiction. A good addition to most sf or short story collections."—Library Journal

    "[Hartwell and Grant] show that Canadian science fiction is alive and well and living north of the border."—SF Site

    "[A] fine collection . . . an impressive range of stories."—Vector

    "An excellent introduction to some of the rising stars in contemporary Canadian science fiction."—The National Post (Canada)

    "A cross-section of the best contemporary stories ranging from hard SF to visionary fantasy, and from the horrifying to the totally hilarious. . . . captivating and haunting."—VOYA

    "Outstanding fiction."—Foundation

    Centaurus

    "Not the first volume of Australian SF but by far the most significant. . . . A substantial and impressive showcase. If you considered Australia too remote and sparsely populated to be science fictionally important—well, think again."—Kirkus Reviews

    "The wordcraft and imagination at play in this collection of 20 SF stories by Australian writers is quite extraordinary. The book is full of gorgeously imagined scenes on a transgalactic scale and challenging extrapolations of cutting-edge science. Hidden in the grandeur are meditations on the meaning of reality, motherhood, the social worth of religions, and gender dominance. . . . There is enough of the quotidian, charming and homey to ground all this exotica, and there are a few neat japes. . . . Broderick’s introduction is itself a fine and illuminating piece of writing, and his and Hartwell’s profiles are unusally personal. It may arise from Down Under, but this anthology is a world-class treasure."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

    "Tired of seeing the same names in anthology after anthology? Here’s a chance for a break, a big collection of twenty SF stories by writers from Australia. . . . One of your best anthology bets of the year."—Science Fiction Chronicle

    "There is a wealth of neat, stylish SF between these covers."—San Diego Union-Tribune

    "Centaurus demonstrates that the best Australian SF is as good as the best written anywhere. . . . While Broderick and Hartwell point out that Centaurus isn’t the first anthology to attempt to collect Australia’s best science fiction, its publication is without question a significant event. It succeeds brilliantly both as a wonderful collection of great stories and as a document of the development in SF ina country whose writers are becoming increasingly important in the SF field. A+"—Science Fiction Weekly

    "Broderick and Hartwell have assembled a book that will be published to coincide with the third World Science Fiction Convention to be held in Australia, and one that is intended to give non-Australian readers an overview of Australian SF. As such, it succeeds, and succeeds admirably. Highly recommended."—Locus

    "A group of fine stories by authors who deserve to be better known on this side of the world."—Locus

    "In population terms, Australia is a small country; in literary terms, it consistently punches above its weight. This anthology is proof enough of that."—Interzone

Westport, New York on Lake Champlain

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