THE AUSTRALIAN SCIENCE FICTION BULLSHEET #18 – 16th September 1994
A fast, grubby and frequent little science fiction newsletter produced for
the Australian National Science Fiction Association by Marc Ortlieb,
P.O. Box 215, Forest Hill, Vict, 3131, AUSTRALIA (e-mail: maor@ausom.oz.au).
Postal subscriptions $5-50 for ten issues.(Cheques made out to Marc Ortlieb
please. Stamps accepted) Thanks to Alternate Worlds, Slow Glass Books, &
the MSFC for distribution. Available for items of gossip. E-mail copies
free. Ask to be put on the mailing list, or grab it from aus.sf on
Internet or Psibaud (03) 804 3205.
HUGO FOR NICHOLS
Two of Thylacons GsoH won Hugos at Conadian, the 1994 Worldcon in Winnipeg.
Melbourne critic Peter Nichols shared the Hugo with John Clute for best
non-fictionThe Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Kim Stanley Robinson won
for his novel Green Mars. (Grant Stone is the only one letting the side down.
Now, if there were a Hugo for best sf radio program...) I would have thought
that this would have provided a good excuse for a progress report.
Other Hugos included Down in the Bottomlands Harry Turtledove; Georgia on My
Mind Charles Sheffield; Death on the Nile Connie Willis; Jurassic Park;
Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Bob Eggleton, Science Fiction Chronicle ed Andy
Porter; Brad W. Foster; Mimosa ed Dick & Nicki Lynch; Dave Langford; and
Stephen Hickman.
San Antonio won the right to stage the 1997 Worldcon.
ON THE REMAINDER TABLE
Dymocks, in Prahran, have remaindered most of the Cory and Collins line and
most of the Aphelion Press line, including the recently released Alien
Shores. According to Irwin Hirsh, hardbacks and paperbacks were going
for $4-00 a shot.
ELECTRONIC ZINE
Roman Orszanski is planning an all-electric fanzine:the Adelaide Fan
Review using WWW browsers to read a fanzine which is distributed by e-mail
as an HTML (hypertext markup language) file. Submissions will be accepted
in HTML, Rich Text Format, ascii, or Microsoft Word. There will be a
selective mailout to OzFen shortly to find out exactly what software and
hardware they are using. Hopefully, this will let us design a package that
can be read easily on IBMs, Macs,Amigas, Unix boxes etc etc. Once we get the
bugs sorted out, we'll make the software framework available as a package
for other fan-eds. It should be noted that Roman did produce Australia's
only cassette tape fanzine The Steam-Driven Fluglehorn.
MSFC WALL CALENDAR
To complement Ian Gunn & Kerri Valkovas Fannish Diary, the MSFC are
producing an A3 Wall Calendar. Clubs, organizations, conventions etc are
invited to send material for inclusion to the MSFC P.O. Box 212 World Trade
Centre 3005 by October 28.
BARNES-SPOTTING
Bruce Barnes appeared as a juror in the first episode of the ABC's new
series Janus. 1/9/94 (I'm put in mind of a Dan Steffan backcover for Janice
Bogstad & Jeanne Gomoll's fanzine Janus with the dialog
"Gee Winslow! Why did they call this fanzine Janus?"
"Because you nerd, Jasshole would have been a little rude!")
ZARBI DISCOVERED
Old-time Dr Who fans will be delighted to learn that "ZARBI would catalyze
its own formation and also act as a template for assembling its rival"
(Rebek Jr, Julius Synthetic Self-Replicating Molecules Scientific American
July 1994 p 37.)
CONVENTION NEWS
Current LaCon III (1996 Worldcon) rates: Supporting: A$42 (US$30). Attending:
A$125 (US$90). Children's and hucksters' rates on request. Further details
from Jean Weber & Eric Lindsay 7 Nicoll Avenue, Ryde, 2112
UPCOMING CONVENTIONS
COMEDYCON Media Comedy 16-18 September, Tradewinds Hotel Maroubra, GoH Hattie
Hayridge, $75, P.O. Box 627, Ryde, 2112.
CONQUEST 94, Star Trek 23-25 September Lennons Hotel Brisbane GsoH Jonathan
del Arco & Richard Arnold, Att $80 GPO Box 1376 Brisbane 4001
SURVIVAL 94 Dr Who convention, 25-27 November Novotel on Collins GsoH
Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred, Katy Manning & Kate Orman. $85/3day $25
Banquet. PO Box 804, Croydon 3136 survival@wusette.dialix.oz.au
VOYAGER Star Trek 30/12/941/1/95. GoH Dwight Schultz. Hilton on the Park
Melbourne $85/3day $45 Banquet G.P.O. Box 474 Rosebud 3939. 059-82-25-20
or voyager@wusette.dialix.oz.au
Novacon 95 Dr Who, 13-15 January 1995, Radisson Hotel Newcastle,GoH John Levine, Katy Manning & Nicholas Courtney $70 P.O. Box 140, Kotara Fair 2289 iandix@scorch.hna.com.au
EVENT HORIZON Blakes 7 Carindale Hotel, Carindale Brisbane 27-29 January 1995
GoH Gareth Thomas O.C.P. $65 until 7/10/94 Event Horizon, P.O. Box 492,
Corinda QLD 4075 (07) 349-2229 kat@welkin.apana.org.au
CONCINNITY 95 January 27-29 1995, Regent Hotel Melbourne, Att $60-00.
GsoH Robert OReilly & Ian Gunn. GPO Box 972G, Melbourne, 3001.
SWANCON 95 W.A. regional April 13-17 1995. Perth Sheraton Hotel. GoH Pat
Cadigan. Att $70. P.O. Box 318 Nedlands 6009
CONQUEST '95. NZ Nat Con1995. April 14-17, Airport Quality Hotel, Auckland
GsOH: Roger Zelazny, Vonda McIntyre, Richard Taylor FGOH: Keith Smith
P.O. Box 26-311 Auckland, NZ. E-Mail: ncates@chenov1.auckland.ac.nz
FORCE ONE (1st National Star Wars Con) 15-17 April 1995, Melbourne Sheraton,
GsoH Steve Sansweet, Hugh Fleming. $110. P.O. Box 118 Springvale 3171.
THYLACON 1995 Lit NatCon,June 9-12 1995, Wrest Point Hotel Casino, Hobart.
GsoH Kim Stanley Robinson, Peter Nichols and Grant Stone. $60-00 to 1/1/95.
Sup $20-00. Voting $5-00. GPO Box 580D, Melbourne 3001.
ARCON Aussiecon Reunion Convention. September 22-24 1995 Savoy Plaza Hotel
Melbourne Marc Ortlieb P.O. Box 215 Forest Hill, Vic 3131
MUTAGEN 96 January 26-29 1996, Dr Who Att $80-00. GPO Box 910G Melbourne 3001.
FESTIVAL OF THE IMAGINATION/ CONFUSION 96/SWANCON 21 Lit/Media NatCon
Easter 1996. University of W.A.Supp $15.
GoH = Guest of Honour
O.C.P. = Other Commitments Permitting
OTHER EVENTS
N.S.W.
FUTURIAN SOCIETY OF SYDNEY 3rd Friday of month 16th September Immortality
in SF. Room 1615 University of Technology, Broadway, Sydney 7-00pm
(Dinner beforehand at The Old Windsor Tavern, Castlereigh St, Sydney. 5-30pm.)
SOUTHERN SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY GROUP Sf. 15 Shade Place Lugarno NSW
02 534 3595. September 17 3-00pm After the end of the world discussion
followed by dinner
PENRITH SF GROUP September 17 Phone Joy (047) 301-73
AUSTRALIAN SCIENCE FICTION ASSN Sf discussion 6/4 South St, Edgecliffe, NSW
September 25 2pm
SYDNEY DR WHO FAN CLUB 4th Sunday of month Sefton District Girl Guides Hall.
P.O. Box 381, Chester Hill, 2162 (02) 727-4272
NEWCASTLE DOCTOR WHO SCIENCE FICTION CLUB 3rd Sunday of the month, at the
Alice Ferguson Community Centre, 30 Caldwell St Merewether
P.O. Box 140, Kotara Fair 2289, ph (049) 57 5109 (049) 43 2666
W.A.
IN-FRIENDS STTNG/DS9/Babylon 5 videos Fridays 6:30pm Building 17 Edith Cowan
University Mt Lawley. Phone 310-7122
VICTORIA
MELBOURNE SCIENCE FICTION CLUB Each Friday 7.30 pm, St Davids Hall,
74 Melville Rd, West Brunswick.
VICTREX 18 September 10-00 am Seymour Scout Hall P.O. Box 325 Seymour 3660
ph 057 99 1353
DANDENONG VALLEY S.F. & FUTURIST SOCIETY Dandenong Library Conference Room.
September 20th 8-00 pm. Ann McGann 63 Woodside Ave, Frankston, 3199
ENTERPRISE Star Trek 24 September Costumers Workshop Horticultural Hall
Victoria St Melbourne trek@wusette.dialix.oz.au
PHRYNNE FISHER CLUB Detective fiction September 24 1.00pm Library Theatrette
Victoria Uni of Technology Footscray
A IN 99 meeting September 25 2.00pm Alan Stewart's place (03) 429-8354
(P.O. Box 99, Bayswater 3153.)
NOVA MOB Sf natter October 5 Bruce Gillespie on Keith Roberts; Erawan
Restaurant 205 Swan St Richmond 6-00pm. Meeting: Alan Stewart's place 8-00pm.
TIME TREKKERS SF CLUB OF CENTRAL VICT October 7. 103 Reservoir Rd, Bendigo.
P.O. Box 934, Bendigo 3550 054 43 0241
STAR TREK MARATHONS New Venue: The Glasshouse Theatrette, RMIT Union
360 Swanston St 6:30pm first Sat of the month.
A.C.T.
OMNI Videos:Theme Ghosts October 1 Chemistry Lecture Theatre 2
ANU 11am - 5 pm. GPO Box 2080, Canberra 2601
CANBERRA SF SOCIETY, October 6, 7:30pm ANU Chem Lecture Theatre 2.
PO Box 47 Civic Square ACT 2608. Ken Ward (06) 288 6391 (H).
S.A.
AUSFA Every second Monday, 1pm, Clubs Common room, Adelaide Uni. ,
Brendan Watts (08) 272 1974,AUSFA c/- Clubs Association, Uni. of Adel.,
North Terrace, Adelaide, SA 5005.email kickaha@student.adelaide.edu.au
CRITICAL MASS October 5 David Hansen Richard Calder's Dead Girls S.A.
Writers' Centre, 2nd floor, 187 Rundle Street, Adelaide
Damien Warman 15 Alan Street Port Noarlunga, SA 5167 (08) 382 7128
internet: dwarman@maths.adelaide.edu.au
QUEENSLAND
CONQUEST CLUB Media October 30 Metro Arts Centre, 109 Edwards St
Brisbane. 12-005-00pm. GPO Box 1376, Brisbane 4001
FANZINES
THE CAPTAINS LOG #206 Katherine Shade for Austrek G.P.O. Box 5206AA
Melbourne 3001 BUSSWARBLE #19 Michael Hailstone 14 Bolden St Heidleberg 3084
THE COMMUNICATOR #6 Derek Screen for Enterprise (Trek) P.O. Box 466 World
Trade Centre Melbourne 3005
BBS
ECHO BASE HOTH (03) 563-1323. PSIBAUD, (03) 804 3205, is a free single line
stand-alone science fiction and education BBS.
Sherry Mayo scmayo@rschp2.anu.edu.au reports "I am in the process of
constructing some WWW pages. I have an embryonic Sci-Fi page in which I want
to include SF resources and links to SF resources on the Web (especially on
Aussie servers)." She adds "(http://rschp2.anu.edu.au:8080/ scifi.html)"
which probably means something to experienced Net Surfers. (I just paddle
around in the shallows with a hankie on my head."
DEADLINES
Australian Fannish Diary Entries September 30 1994
MSFC Wall Calendar October 28th 1994
FFANZ Candidates November 11 1994
Guff March 31st 1995
SNAILMAIL CoAS
Ron Clarke c/o PO Box K940, Haymarket NSW 2000.
EMAIL CoAS
Voyager '94 -voyager@wusette.dialix.oz.au
Survival '94 - survival@wusette.dialix.oz.au
Matthew Proctor - ace@wusette.dialix.oz.au
Enterprise - trek@wusette.dialix.oz.au
Elle Wusette -elle@wusette.dialix.oz.au
SOURCES
Garfield, Sue Hryckiewicz, Ron Clarke, Irwin Hirsh, Roman Orszanski, The
Communicator Phryne Fisher Club Newsletter, Slow Glass Books Catalogue,
Scientific American Damian Warman
RECOMMENDED READING
It is a sign of the health of Australian science fiction that books as
different as Sean Williams' Doorway to Eternity and George Turner's
Genetic Soldier can appear within months of each other. They span a large
range in the continuum of publishing, from the early novelettes of a
potential force, to the smoothly crafted novel of a master. Williams'
collection is a small press production of 400, hand numbered, from
MirrorDanse in Sydney. Turner's book is a solid hardback from AvoNova,
part of the William Morrow group. In such diversity lies the future
strength of written sf in Australia.
Turner's book contains all the makings of a classic in the genre. It springs
from the British sf tradition, in which a background is painstakingly
constructed, perhaps a little slowly, only to provide the launchpad for
some spectacular pyrotechnics towards the end as time is dilated for the
reader. It invites comparison with Arthur C. Clarke's Childhood's End.
A colony ship, making use of relativistic time dilation and cryogenics
has been fruitlessly searching its section of the Galaxy for a new home for
humanity. The crew decide to return to Earth, only to find it and its people
changed in such a way that there is no longer a place for them. The idea of
a first contact story set in the Yarra Valley appeals to me. George
seamlessly integrates current scientific ideas, sociological trends and the
effects these have on his characters.
Williams' novelettes explore three sf areas that any beginning writer should
get out of their systemsthe gadget story, the ghost story and the
"explaining the paranormal via aliens" story. They are good solid magazine
stuff of the type that might have appeared in Galaxy or If. As with Turner's
novel, it's a delight to see this in an Australian setting. The stories
suffer a little from Williams' concentration on ideas rather than the story
as a whole but they are entertaining reading, solid sf with a crunchy core.
WHA HAPPENED?
Readers may note that this issue exceeds my self-imposed two page limit.
These things happen. My apologies to those who aren't getting their BULLSHEET
by Direct E-Mail. problems at my end.
DEADLINE FOR #19
Tuesday October 4th. Distribution date Friday October 7th (A week off for
school holidays.)