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Sir Julius Vogel Award Nominations - 2010

Following are the nominations for the Sir Julius Vogel Awards for 2010. The nominees are for the 2009 calendar year.

Professional Award Nominees

Best Novel Returning
Pat Whitaker
Cooper's Press
Heart's Blood
Juliet Marillier
Pan Macmillan
Branded By Fire
Nalini Singh
Berkley Books
Beyond The Wall Of Time
Russell Kirkpatrick
Harper Collins Australia
Angel's Blood
Nalini Singh
Berkley Books
 
Best Young Adult Novel Sting
Raymond Huber
Walker Books
The Loblolly Boy
James Norcliffe
Longacre Press
Real Life
Ella West
Longacre Press
The Crossing
Mandy Hagar
Random House NZ
Brainjack
Brian Falkner
Walker Books Australia
 
Best Novella / Novelette Over The Rim
Ripley Patton
Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #42
Wives
Paul Haines
X6 Anthology, Couer de lion
Single Handed
Simon Petrie
Kaleidotrope Issue #6
Angels Judgement
Nalini Singh
http://www.nalinisingh.com/hellhounds.html
Twisted
Kevin Veale
Weird Tales #354
 
Best Short Story Corrigan's Exchange
Ripley Patton
Semaphore Magazine
A Slice Of Life - A Spot Of Liver
Paul Haines
http://www.themaynepress.com
The Living Dead Boy
Grant Stone
Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine Issue 41
Downdraft
Simon Petrie
http://www.sensesfive.com/publications/sybils-garage-no-6
Zombies From Mars
Douglas A. Van Belle
Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine Issue 40
Something Better Than Death
Lucy Sussex
Aurealis #42
 
Best Collected Work Slice Of Life
Paul Haines
The Mayne Press
Dreams And Nightmares Volume 1
Nicholas Chrustowski
Self Published
Voyagers: Science Fiction Poetry From New Zealand
Mark Pirie and Tim Jones
IP (Interactive Publications)
Semaphore Anthology 2009
Marie Hodgkinson
The Word Witch
Margaret Mahy
Edited by Tess Duder
Illustrated by David Elliot
Harper Collins
 
Best Artwork The Test
Serena Kearns
 
Best Dramatic Presentation - Long Form Under The Mountain
Directed by Jonathan King
Written by Matthew Grainger & Jonathan King,
                based on the book by Maurice Gee
Produced by Richard Fletcher, Jonathan King & Matthew Grainger
Buena Vista International / Disney
Dean Spanley
Directed by Toa Fraser
Produced by Matthew Metcalfe & Alan Harris
Written by Alan Sharp
         based on the novel My Talks With Dean Spanley by Lord Dunsany
Paramount
The Vintner's Luck
Produced by Robin Laing
Icon
 
Best Production / Publication Semaphore Magazine
Marie Hodgkinson

Fan Award Nominees

Fan Production Weather Child - Podcast
Philippa Ballantine
Episode List
Coals To Newcastle - Short Film
Yvonne Harrison
 
Fan Publication Phoenixine
John & Lynelle Howell
Time Space Visualiser
Adam McGechan
The Event
Debbie Cowans, Matt Cowens, Stephanie Pegg, Jenni Dowsett, Chris Gilman
The Event can be read here and you can download the pdf here.
 
Fan Writing Hugh Cook - The Wordsmith And The Warrior
Dan Rabarts
Convention Reviews & SFFANZ Press Releases
June Young
An example
A Convention Review
Phule Proof
Katie Boyle
Phoenixine - The Magazine Of The Phoenix Science Fiction Society Inc
SJV Watch & SFFANZ Reviews
Simon Litten
Maltese Phoenix
Peter Friend
Phoenixine - The Magazine Of The Phoenix Science Fiction Society Inc
Issue 231

Special Award Nominees

Best New Talent

(Nominations are numbered because otherwise the
text of the descriptions of each nominee may make it
hard to determine where each entry begins and
ends -- the number has no other significance).

1. Nicholas Chrustowski

A young, rising writer trained in film with some scripts turned into short films.

He recently produced his exciting first book titled Dreams and Nightmares: Vol 1

It is a collection of ten short stories of the fantasy nature with high-moral themes and rich imagination. Each spellbinding story tackles human concerns in settings out of this world, ranging from the lonely surface of the moon, to the terrifying deep ocean trench.

Current projects underway are the anticipated Dreams and Nightmares: Volume 2, and also, a thrilling, adventure-paced, young adults novel.

 

2. Simon Petrie

The justification is simple, over a period of 3 years, he has had a huge list of work published.  The sheer volume of quality work speaks for itself:

Books:

Rare Unsigned Copy: tales of Rocketry, Ineptitude, and Giant Mutant Vegetables, Peggy Bright Books (forthcoming)

Stories:

The Ballad of P'toresk, Belong, Ticonderoga Publications (forthcoming) Storm in a T-Suit, Aurealis 45 (forthcoming) Must've Been While You Were Kissing Me, ASIM 46 (forthcoming) Dark Rendezvous, Destination: Future, Hadley Rille Books (forthcoming) The Speed of Heavy, Kaleidotrope 8 (forthcoming) Jack Makes a Sale, FlashShot (forthcoming) Latency, Aurealis 43 (forthcoming)

The Fridge Whisperer, Semaphore Magazine, (2010) Day of the Carrot, Ticon4 (2010) Negotiation, Antipodean SF 137 (2009) Dream(TM), ASIM 42 (2009) Postosuchus kirkpatrickii..., Murky Depths 9 (2009) Talking with Taniwha, Borderlands 11 (2009) Scuttle, BBT Magazine 4 (2009) Downdraft, Sybil's Garage 6 (2009) Yarn, FlashShot (2009) Bodysurfing, Antipodean SF 131 (2009) Irritant, Beyond Centauri 24 (2009) Single Handed, Kaleidotrope 6 (2009) Bard Tempered, FlashShot (2009) Sixes, Sevens, Escape Velocity 4 (2009) The Fall Guy, Masques (CSFG publishing, ed. Polack & Hopkins, 2009) Ancient Chinese Proverb #44 (poem), The Battered Suitcase (2009) Podcast, Hope 1 (2009) Feedback, The Nautilus Engine 2:3 (2009) Writeoff, Eclecticism 7 (2009) Guy Walks Into A Bar..., Antipodean SF 127 (2008) Hope Anew, Antipodean SF 127 (2008) MRE, Jupiter 22 (2008) Tall Poppies, Antipodean SF 125 (2008) Fahrenheit 41, Antipodean SF 123 (2008) Tsiligup, Antipodean SF 121 (2008) Alnilam's Planet, Alienskin (2008) Florence, 1504, Late Winter, Eclecticism 4 (2008) Open and Shut, Antipodean SF 119 (2008) DragonBlog, ASIM 33 (2008) Six Subliminals, ASIM 33 (2008) Lacerta pynbawii, Antipodean SF 118 (2008) Stranger Than..., Antipodean SF 118 (2008) Dragonsick, Big Pulp 1 (2008) Field Dynamics, Antipodean SF 117 (2008) 21st Century Nursery Rhymes #126 (poem), ASIM 32 (2008) Fomalhaut 451, Antipodean SF 116 (2008) Airlock, Antipodean SF 115 (2007) Afar, 365 Tomorrows (2007) Division of Labour, 365 Tomorrows (2007) Hare Redux, ASIM 30 (2007) Three-Horned Dilemma, Yog's Notebook 2 (2007) Bookseller, Antipodean SF 110 (2007) Carbon Sequestration, Ripples 9 (2007) Chrysalis, Flash Spec vol. 2 (Equilibrium Books, ed. Cladingboel) Critical, Worlds of Wonder (2007) The Elder, Antipodean SF 109 (2007) Murder on the Zenith Express, ASIM 29 (2007) Greengrocer, Antipodean SF 108 (2007)

Editing credits:

Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine issue 40 (2009), featuring stories by Felicity Dowker, Ruskin Drake, Darren Goossens, Dan McCormick, Ian McHugh, KT McRae, KC Shaw, Jason Stoddard, Douglas A Van Belle, and Melissa White Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine issue 35 (2008), featuring stories by Stuart Barrow, Lawrence Buentello, Aliette de Bodard, Geoffrey Maloney, John Plunket, Lettie Prell, Emma-Jean Stewart, Douglas A Van Belle and Katherine Woodbury


Since his first fiction sale in November 2006 (‘Murder on the Zenith Express’, published May 2007 in Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine issue 29), Simon has had many stories published. Excluding items shorter than 1000 words (of which there are several), his published short stories to December 2009 are:

‘Murder On The Zenith Express’, ASIM 29 (2007) (Aus) 

‘Hare Redux’, ASIM 30 (2007) (Aus)

‘Carbon Sequestration’, Ripples Magazine 9 (2007) (Aus)

‘Three-Horned Dilemma’, Yog’s Notebook 2 (2007) (USA)

‘DragonBlog’, ASIM 33 (2008) (Aus)

‘M.R.E.’, Jupiter 22 (2008) (UK)

‘Writeoff’, Eclecticism 7 (2009) (Aus)

‘Podcast’, Hope fanzine 1 (2009) (Aus)

‘The Fall Guy’, Masques anthology (CSFG Publishing: eds Polack & Hopkins, 2009) (Aus)

‘Sixes, Sevens’, Escape Velocity 4 (2009) (USA)

‘Single Handed’, Kaleidotrope 6 (2009) (USA)

‘Irritant’, Beyond Centauri 24 (2009) (USA)

‘Downdraft’, Sybil’s Garage 6 (2009) (USA)

‘Scuttle’, BBT Magazine 4 (2009) (USA)

‘Talking With Taniwha’, Borderlands 11 (2009) (Aus)

‘How Postosuchus kirkpatricki, Arguably The Most Brutal, Vicious, And Ruthless Ambush Predator To Have Ever Walked The Earth (I Mean, Check Out Those Teeth!) Was Inadvertently Reincarnated As The Hindbrain Of Mr. Gregory Q. Whimple, A Mild-Mannered Complaints Officer With The Small Croydon-Based Electronics And Household Appliance Firm Of Bettavolt Industries, Ltd.’, Murky Depths 9 (2009) (UK)

Stories accepted, but not yet published as of December 2009, are due to appear in Aurealis, ASIM, the Belong and Destination:Future anthologies, Semaphore Magazine and Ticon4.

Simon has also contributed upwards of 70 genre book reviews to the review sections of the Australian Specfic in Focus! (ASif!), ASIM, and Specusphere websites. Also appearing on the latter two websites, or in ASIM’s print edition, are interviews with Iain M. Banks, Richard Morgan, Alistair Reynolds, Douglas A. Van Belle, Greg Bear, and Greg Egan.

Simon has served on the Aurealis Award judging panels for two successive years, in 2008 in the SF Novel category and in 2009 in the Anthology/Collection category.

Simon is also an active member of the Canberra Speculative Fiction Guild (CSFG), the core collective of the fledgling SpecFicNZ body, and the Andromeda Spaceways Publishing Co-operative. His involvement with the latter group has included slushreading, proofreading, magazine layout, subediting, and editing. The two ASIM issues edited by Simon (ASIM 35, 2008; ASIM 40, 2009) have featured 19 stories by such authors as Aliette de Bodard, Geoffrey Maloney and Jason Stoddard, and the awards finalists ‘The Jackal’s Waltz’ by Douglas A. Van Belle (#35, shortlisted in the SJV Novella/Novelette category), ‘Jesse’s Gift’ by Felicity Dowker (#40, shortlisted in the Aurealis Awards Horror Short Story category), and ‘Once a Month, on a Sunday’ by Ian McHugh (#40, shortlisted in the Aurealis Awards Young Adult Short Story category, and joint winner of the Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Short Story). Simon’s first SF sale, ASIM 29’s ‘Murder on the Zenith Express’, was itself a finalist in the SJV short story category in 2008.

Simon’s debut short fiction collection, Rare Unsigned Copy: tales of Rocketry, Ineptitude, and Giant Mutant Vegetables (Peggy Bright Books), was accepted for publication in late 2009 and was released in March 2010.

 

3. David Hair

David Hair is the author of  The Bone Tiki (HarperCollins NZ), a YA/adult fantasy novel which draws on NZ myth and history. It was released in April 2009, and was awarded a Storylines Notables Books YA Fiction certificate, and listed in the Listener magazine top 50 childrens books of 2009 (a list that included international authors). It has also been given the Best First Book award in the NZ Post Children's Book Awards 2010.  It's sequel The Taniwha's Tear was released in April 2010 and a further novel in the series will follow in 2011. David currently lives in India, where he has another fantasy series pending release - a quartet of YA/adult fantasy novels set in India with the overall series title The Return Of Ravana. The first volume, Pyre of Queens (Penguin India), is due for release in India in August 2010.

 
Services To Fandom David Lee-Smith

David Lee Smith is the founder of the Upper Hutt Science Fiction club. Website here with meeting location and dates.

The Upper Hutt Science Fiction and Fantasy Club first meet in April 1980, and has been going ever since. It is generally believed that it is the oldest SF club in NZ still in operation.
 
When the club first started it meet at the Upper Hutt Public Library where David Lee Smith worked as the Head Librarian. David's job at the library enabled him to provide a suitable public venue for the club to meet on a regular basis. This was an excellent location for a club in that it was in an established centrally located public building with a public source of science fiction and fantasy attached to it. When David retired a few years ago, the meeting place of the club shifted around until its current location on the website, but until recently it did meet at the Upper Hutt Public Library on a monthly basis.
 
David Lee Smith kept the club going for many years, and is still active in the club. He has extensive knowledge about literary and media science fiction and fantasy, and the history of SF fandom locally and overseas. His name is well-known in fan circles around New Zealand, especially amongst local fans of long-standing around the lower half of the North Island, and even in the South Island.
 
The importance of local clubs cannot be under-estimated. It enables fans to meet other fans, and go on to form the basis of local fan activity and fan social events. Local SF clubs are the backbone of the wider fan community in New Zealand.
 
This nomination honours David Lee Smith for starting up the club in 1980, and for the many years he kept the Upper Hutt Science Fiction Club running, principally as the Club Secretary. David has for many years acted as an organiser, science fiction fan and is a great source of inspiration to the many fans both old and young he meets. His long standing association with the Upper Hutt Science Fiction club both in its efficient practical running and enthusiastic participation has made him a valued member of the greater Wellington science fiction community.
 
There is a lot of routine work involved in running a club; this nomination recognises the work that David did on behalf of all local Upper Hutt fans who have enjoyed attending club meetings over the many years of the club's existence.  I take great pleasure in nominating David Lee Smith for Services to Fandom.
 
Services To Science Fiction, Fantasy And Horror

(Nominations are numbered because otherwise the
text of the descriptions of each nominee may make it
hard to determine where each entry begins and
ends -- the number has no other significance).

1. Masters Of Horror Web Community - Creator Lee Pletzers

Masters of Horror is a web based community that started life in 2003 as a small email group that wanted to help promote and support indie writers of dark fiction in New Zealand and abroad. The community is powered by members from UK, NZ, Aust, and US. The group has helped assist new writers find inspiration and support to battle their way to publication. Many of our members are now published. Masters of Horror really took off in 2009 where membership jumped 200%.

The E-mail group that started it all was called Embark to Madness located on Yahoo Groups. E2M started with seven members, friends the founder had made online who also liked horror and SF. In 2004 the group was 50 strong and this group released a horror anthology via the small press. Nicholas Grabowsky (writer of Halloween 4 and member) wrote our introduction.

In 2007, the founder Lee Pletzers moved the group to a Ning site called horror writers, where the group and marketing efforts attracted more members all lovers of horror whether it be writing, reading, poetry, film production, publishing and editing. There is also a critique group (closed to the public) called Masterful Writer that has assisted many writers stuck on scenes. We do not operate like Critters, all advise is voluntary. There is also a group called, called Dark Musings, where writers can "showcase" their latest work.

The site is constantly moderated by its founder to ensure fake accounts are not created and participation is encouraged. In 2008, around August, the site name "horror writers" changed to "Masters of Horror" as the site had evolved from just horror writers to all lovers of the Spec Fic genre. Several groups have been formed within MoH: book reviews, author interviews, publishers, submission call outs, currently reading, etc. We also highlight new books by our community on the front page.

It is encouraged at Masters of Horror that any work an artist releases, gets published, or creates is made known to the community. Book trailers are added to the video section of the community and blogs and forums are open to all. 

The community was created as a place for lovers of genre fiction, mainly horror (but SF and Fantasy get look in as well) to get together, learn what's around and out there and to improve and advertise their work. Coming out in 2010 is an anthology of horror from members of this community and will be released by Triskaideka Books, a small press that opened in 2010, which is also founded by Lee Pletzers.


I am delighted to do this. The reasons are personal. I joined Masters of Horror Ning last January having had writer’s block for six months. Due to the encouragement I received and the invitations by Lee Pletzer to writing groups on the site, I started to write again. In May I had a story selected by Mythica Publishing for their Sci Fi Anthology, MAYBE TOMORROW which is being published shortly.

I then wrote two other sci-fi stories after that. One has just been published in a collection and the other is being published next week.

I also wrote a sci fi novel that I am in the process of editing.

And I have a current work in progress, a horror novel that I am working on and hope to have ready for submission by the spring.

Recently Lee has started a group seeking horror stories for a horror anthology and my story has just been selected.

Okay, that’s about me. Now looking at my reasons for nominating more broadly—Lee is a hands on creator. He fully participates and encourages all members on his network to write and keep writing.

What better recommendation can I possibly make then that?

Masters of Horror is run by a master! It is a site fully committed to the supernatural genre. It is superb and is superbly run.

Top marks!


The Masters of Horror site is a great place for writers and fans of horror to congregate. The site is well run (by Lee Pletzers) and has an active membership. In just the short time I have been a member I have gotten many great recommendations for books and short stories. I've also discovered lots of new authors I want to read. The more time I spend on the site the more I realize what a valuable networking and marketing tool it is for writers. Masters of Horror is a asset to the Horror community and deserving of the Horror Special Award.


Nomination of the Masters of Horror Website is something that has been long overdue. 

Masters of Horror came into being by a small group of likeminded writers who wanted to share their experiences of writing about Horror.  When the group outgrew their yahoo service, they set up the Horror Writers Ning.  This was subsequently altered last year to Masters of Horror because it encompasses Artists as well as writers. 

It was set up and established by Lee Pletzers from Wellington, who has spent hours dedicated to the cause. If there is a problem at the site he is the first one working on it to get it back up and running again. It is frequented by people from all over the globe.

Horror is something that is kept in the dark, especially in New Zealand, as is Speculative Fiction.  To get something like the Masters of Horror Website acknowledged as a great source of information for Horror writers and artists alike would really give Speculative Fiction a boost in New Zealand.

The Masters of Horror ning site is a community where people get together.   There is information on writing, a critiquing service, a place where people can share their triumphs and tragedies.  It is supportive of people with similar tastes and interests and encourages writers and artists alike.

To get a service like the Masters of Horror recognised would really make readers aware that Speculative Fiction is alive and well and thriving in New Zealand.


The Masters of Horror community was created as a place for lovers of genre fiction, mainly horror (but also SF and Fantasy) to get together, learn what's around and out there and to improve and advertise their work. It offers editing, critiques, reviews, and marketing tips to New Zealand writers, and was set up by New Zealand writer Lee Pletzers.

There is also a critique group (closed to the public) called Masterful Writer giving writing assistance and advice; and a group called Dark Musings, where writers can showcase their latest work.

In 2008, around August, the site name "horror writers" changed to "Masters of Horror" as the site had evolved from just horror writers to all lovers of the Spec Fic genre. Several groups have been formed within MoH: book reviews, author interviews, publishers, submission call outs, currently reading, etc. Masters of Horror also highlight new books by members of its community on the front page.

 

2. Hugh Cook (1956 - 2008)

We are writing to nominate New Zealand Fantasy author Hugh Cook (1956-2008) for a Julius Vogel Award, in the Special Awards Category of Services to Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror.

Hugh Cook was one of New Zealand's most successful yet least recognised authors, publishing seventeen books in 25 years, from Plague Summer in 1980 to Cancer Patient in 2005.

Hugh's epic 10-Volume saga The Chronicles of an Age of Darkness sold over 450,000 copies, including 160,000 copies of the first in the series, The Wizards and the Warriors. This achievement alone is worthy of recognition, but Hugh did not stop writing when the Chronicles came to an end.
 
Cook went on to champion many forms of electronic publishing and was an early adopter of Print-On-Demand technology and free PDF releases as a means of growing his audience. He was well ahead of the curve on many new technologies well before the mainstream even knew they existed. He was possibly one of the first authors in the world to write and publish a blog, building each page in code, long before the ease of Wordpress or Blogger.

Cook's work was often brutal and always challenging, at turns elegiac and tortured. China Mieville describes Hugh Cook as "one of the most inventive, witty, unflinching, serious, humane and criminally underrated writers in imaginative fiction. Or anywhere.”

Cook was one of New Zealand's most prolific and successful writers of Science Fiction/Fantasy, but that is not the only reason that he is deserving of this award. His success as a Kiwi writer in the mainstream market has inspired many New Zealand writers of SFF to embrace the genre where they otherwise may have been convinced that the road to publication was too hard. Julius Vogel Award-winning author Phillipa Ballantine is among them:

'I grew up with a dream of being a writer, but being from New Zealand as well I always assumed that I could never write in the genre I loved: science fiction and fantasy. I remember finding Hugh Cook among the books my Dad was reading, and loving the worlds he so effortlessly carried me away to. And then I found out that he was from New Zealand too. From that moment on I knew my dream was possible. For both his talent and being a trailblazer I'll always be grateful to Hugh Cook.'

Phillipa has recently signed a publishing deal with Ace Books in New York for her fantasy work, a testament to Cook's inspiration and his real impact on a whole new generation of New Zealand Fantasy and Science Fiction Writers. 

Cook also celebrated New Zealand and its lore in his work. His prose drew heavily on the landscape, places and mythology of Aotearoa, from the legendary Taniwha of Quilth, to the Ngati Moana, to a prison called Maremoremo. Our native flora and fauna often made cameo appearances in wild locales, including weka, kauri and rimu, to name but a few – all of this well over a decade before Peter Jackson delivered our country up to the world as Middle Earth. Cook refused to suffer from cultural cringe; he embraced our country’s uniqueness and used it to flavour his own inimitable world and style, however far removed his worlds may have been from our own.

Cook was always ready to engage with his fanbase, and treated those who contacted him with respect and candour. He was truly a gentleman and a scholar.

Hugh Cook was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2005. He was treated and the disease went into remission, during which time he wrote a memoir entitled Cancer Patient, which is available as a free ebook. He was on the road to recovery when the cancer returned. He passed away peacefully in November 2008, and is survived by his wife and daughter, who live in Auckland.

Ultimately, Cook was both Wordsmith and Warrior. Poems, stories and characters were his tools and his weapons. He wrote with a passion, producing fiction at a prolific rate, and the English language would be greatly enriched if all the words and terms he had coined in his oeuvre were to be introduced into common parlance. He fought to find new ways forward in the publishing world, exploiting technologies that are only now starting to establish their true place in the electronic market. He maintained his integrity as an author to the very end, determined to always share the stories he had to tell, and not those that others wanted him to tell. At the end, he fought an unseen enemy – fought it and beat it, if only for a short time. Even in this he had a story to tell, and while the telling of that story may not have been able to completely defeat his insidious foe, it may yet bring comfort to others who face those same demons at some stage.

To quote Mieville again, “To honour the memory of this wonderful and generous-spirited writer and man, those - too bloody few - of us who know his work should do all we can to bring it to the world's attention.

An article about Hugh Cook written by Dan Rabarts was published last year by World SF News Blog, and covers his life and work in more detail. It can be found here. Also, his obituary, published in the New Zealand Herald, can be found here.

As Hugh has passed away, please forward any correspondence to Dan Rabarts (rabarts@gmail.com), who will be happy to arrange contact with Hugh's family.

Hugh Walter Gilbert Cook (1956-2008): Wordsmith; Warrior; New Zealander.

Links:

Article on Cook's life and work:
http://worldsf.wordpress.com/2009/11/26/

Cook's Obituary:
http://freshly-ground.blogspot.com/2008/12/hugh-cook-obituary-published.html

Cook's website:
http://www.zenvirus.com

Another of Cook's websites, now maintained by his family:
http://hughcook.blogspot.com/
 
Wikipedia page on the Chronicles Series:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronicles_of_an_Age_of_Darkness

Wikipedia page on Hugh Cook:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Cook_%28science_fiction_author%29

3. NZ Speculative Fiction Blogging Week - Anna Caro Potts and SpecFicNZ

New Zealand Speculative Fiction Blogging Week was organised by Core members of SpecFicNZ, who are working towards the launch of a national SpecFic Writers organisation in 2010, and administered by Anna Caro. It took place from 14 to 20 September 2009.

It was organised to allow New Zealanders – and those with links to New Zealand – to publicise their own involvement in the field or share knowledge about its history, present state or prospects.

Bloggers posted about New Zealand speculative fiction on their own blogs, and let Anna know the links, which were collected at http://pterodaustrodreams.org/drupal-6.8/node/100

There were 52 posts, covering topics as diverse as new fiction, events being held during the week, significant and neglected New Zealand speculative fiction writers, and the distinctly New Zealand influences on speculative fiction. The week gave both readers and blog visitors a strong sense of a vital and growing field.

4. Phillip Mann

Phillip Mann was born and educated in England. He migrated to New Zealand in 1969, via California, and sometime after that began writing science fiction and fantasy novels.

Phillip Mann is one of New Zealand's earlier authors of science fiction and fantasy. He has written 9 novels, 1st published between the years of 1984 to 1996, all of which were enjoyed by the fans who have copies of his novels and/or who have read them.

The Eye Of The Queen (1984)
Pioneers
(1989)
Wulfsyarn - A Mosaic
(1990)

Pawl Paxwax, The Gardener:
    Master Of Paxwax (1986)
    The Fall Of The Families
(1987)

A Land Fit For Heroes:
    Escape To The Wild Wood (1993)
    Stand Alone Stan
(1994)
    The Dragon Wakes
(1995)
    The Burning Forest
(1996)

The novels were published in hardback by Gollancz, and in paperback by Panther and Grafton.

The 2 novels about Pawl Paxwax were adapted to radio plays by Radio NZ, and have recently been replayed by Radio New Zealand. The series was also available for purchase at Replay Radio in a boxed audio CD set (please check for current availability by email here ).

"A Land Fit for Heroes" is a series consisting of 4 books featuring an alternate history & fantasy set in Britain. His other works can be described as science fiction, with the "The Fall of the Families" also containing science fiction poetry. Works of science fiction, fantasy, poetry and alternate history reflect the diverse talent of this author.

Phillip Mann has been a lecturer in Drama at Victoria University, a journalist in China, taught mime in various places, worked in theatre in various capacities and has written plays. He is semi-retired now but still teaches writing at Whitireia College and helps out with new writers at Huia, a Wellington-based publisher. This reflects a diverse artistic and academic career in the arts in general.

As the Patron of the Phoenix Science Fiction and Fantasy Society (a Wellington-based science fiction club), and which he has been since its founding in 1989, Phillip Mann has strong ties to science fiction and fantasy fandom. He attends Phoenix meetings every year or so to give a talk, reading and/or presentation to the members of the club. His last visit was the November 2009 meeting, where his talk and reading was warmly received by the attending members of the club. In another earlier, but note-worthy visit he spoke of his time in China as a journalist, and how he developed ideas from that time to incorporate into his science fiction novels.  

To read more about Phillip Mann and his Pawl Paxwax novels, please go here.

Phillip Mann's novels are available at various libraries nationwide. They are available at Wellington City Library and can be found via their on-line catalogue.

Note: Nominees are presented in randomised order.

The Sir Julius Vogel Awards recognise excellence in Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror By New Zealanders.

The Sir Julius Vogel Awards are given for work By fans and professionals that was undertaken, completed or released in the year previous to voting. This year the works being voted on are from 2009. They are voted on By New Zealand fans and are presented at the National Science Fiction convention each year.

The Sir Julius Vogel Awards are administered By SFFANZ, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Association of New Zealand.

This year the National Science Fiction Convention is Au Contraire, taking place 27th to 29th August 2010 in Wellington..

Au Contraire can be contacted at http://www.aucontraire.org.nz

SFFANZ supports Science Fiction and Fantasy in New Zealand and can be contacted at enquiries@sffanz.org.nz or http://www.sffanz.org.nz

SFFANZ is a non-profit organisation and registered charity
designed to bring together fans of the fantastic in New Zealand

Contact us by email at: enquiries@sffanz.org.nz