Adam Roberts's Blog, page 22

Kitschies Steampunk Evening

Tomorrow evening (that's Thursday 8th December, 6:00-8:30pm at Blackwells Bookshop, 100 Charing Cross Road): entrance free -- come and meet Jonathan Green, Frances Hardinge, Kim Lakin-Smith, Philip Reeve, me, Lavie Tidhar and China Miéville. I shall wear a tie. It would be rude of you not to come.

Teletubtopia

Read all about it.

Solaris Rising

After three previous volumes (two of which contained stories by me) Solaris is rising again, thanks to the metaphorical yeast of Ian Whates, that excellent individual. My contribution this time is a story called 'Shall I Tell You The Trouble With Time Travel?' In this story, I tell you, the reader, the trouble with time travel.

Is Science Fiction the only true relevant literary genre today?

You want an answer to that question? Why, then, you must come along to this:

Event: Is Science Fiction the only true relevant literary genre today?

24 October 2011

New Scientist and the Waterstones Gower Street Lecture Series present, Is Science Fiction the only truly relevant literary genre today?

Simon Ings, author of Dead Water, will be chairing this panel discussion on the importance and relevance of science fiction as a literary genre in today's modern world.

The panel will include British sci-fi author and three-time nominee of the Arthur C. Clarke Award, Adam Roberts, the director of the Arthur C. Clarke Award, Tom Hunter and John Sutherland, Emeritus Professor of Modern English Literature at UCL and author of the new book Lives of the Novelists.

Tickets are £6 for New Scientist readers and £5 for students. To purchase your tickets visit: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/23612....

Is Science Fiction the only truly relevant literary genre today?

Chaired by Simon Ings

Date: Monday 7th November 2011, 7pm

Location: UCL, London, WC1E 7JG

Jahr Jahr Binks

Sascha Mamczak, Wolfgang Jeschke (eds) Das Science Fiction Jahr 2011 (Heyne 2011) -- Es kam in der Post. Es war groß, sehr groß und gefüllt mit SF - inklusive einem Interview mit "Adam Roberts" von Sascha Mamczak. Voon. Der. Bar. (Seriously -- 1312 pages! How do they do it? Amazing)

SFE3

Very exciting: the long-awaited, much-expanded 3rd edition of the genre's standard reference work, The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (edited John Clute, Peter Nicholls and David Langford) has at last gone live -- or at least, its Beta edition has (you can find out what the 'beta edition' is, here). I've made some miniscule contribution to this by writing a few entries on SF Music; but really this staggering, amazing achievement belongs to Peter, John and David, not to mention the estimable Graham Sleight. I'm more delighted for them than I can easily say; and I'm very honoured to be associated with the project, even in a marginal sense.

Since going live, there's been a good quantity of feedback from fans and readers, which is an excellent thing. I'm very happy to take corrections where my music entries are concerned, of course; either here or through the site's own contact page (or via Graham's SFE3 blog). It's also good to get suggestions of SF music I've not yet got to: I'm very grateful, for instance, to Jez Winship and Neil Snowdon, whose long, thoughtful response to the release of the SFE3-beta contains a wealth of suggestions for more music entries. I'm writing some of these now, as it happens.

Cheltenham Literary Festival 2011

I'm appearing at the Cheltenham Literary Festival tomorrow (Wednesday) ayt 17:00, in company of the eloquently intelligent Mark Brake. Come along: it would be great to see you! (The event is sponsored by the Wellcome Trust, an excellent organisation, and deserving of our support).

Now, now, you may be saying: that's all very well -- but what will you and Mr Brake be talking about? That's a good question. Come along, I urge you, and find out!

Gollancz 50

Here are 10 titles you have already read, or if you haven't you (a) ought to be ashamed, and (b) ought to read them at once. Gollancz have yellowed them up nicely, and put them on sale: check them out. One of them has an introduction by me! But I won't tell you which. Oh, alright, it's Pratchett's hilarious, brilliant Eric:

Wasson and Alder (eds) Gothic Science Fiction 1980-2010 (Liverpool 2011)

Dev Wasson-Gothic Science Fiction (2)

Nice cover, what? This collection of ver interesting essays is now available, from Liverpool University Press. Its own extensive merits recommend it, without any need for my puffery; although I mention it here because I furnished a brief preface to the volume.

Karel Čapek Gollanč Masterwork

In today's post: extra-handsome SF Masterworks edition of two Karel Čapek titles ('R.U.R.' and 'War With The Newts') with an introduction by me. The intro covers various things, although doesn't have space for Čapek's famous collaboration with Jimi Hendrix, the concept album 'R.U.Rxperienced?', nor the 'special advisor' role Ken Livingstone played in the gestation of the War novel. But hopefully there's some interesting stuff in there anyway. On sale now.