Början

This is a much-belated obituary prompted by another obit in the latest issue of Focus, the British Science Fiction Association’s Writers’ Magazine. Sadly, Dave had passed away last August, which I had completely missed. Whilst I looked for clues about his health on his blog during the last year, I didn’t find the news and presumed he was too ill to continue with his updates (knowing his diagnosis). Nonetheless, he played a very important role in my return to writing fiction, so I wanted to mark this here. You will have seen my review of one of his books, The Girl from a Thousand Fathoms earlier in this blog.

I met Dave at the 2014 World Science Fiction Convention in London. I had managed to get myself into the writers’ workshop at that con, organized by the T-Party writing group. We were supposed to submit a story, and the only one that fit the word length was called Antiques, Artefacts and Anomalies, which was inspired by a visit to the small town in West Yorkshire, UK, where I grew up. The scheme was that the group of four tutors would read our stories in advance and then bring their comments with them to the workshop. I was very fortunate with the four guys who were my tutors. I remember Gareth Powell thought my story was too slow-moving with very little driving it forward in its first few pages. The slow-moving plot was deliberate, but his critique was well-taken. Rick Wilbur liked the beginning but felt it lost impetuous during the story’s development. However, we’ve touched base since at the Dublin Worldcon, and he continues to give encouragement. Martin Owton also had useful comments (and organized the whole session).

Dave Gullen was the only one who actually liked my story, and particularly the characters of the dog and her human. In fact, he said he would be happy to look at a redraft based on his and others’ comments. I duly sent him the revised version, and he was both encouraging and perceptive about my attempts. In fact, he was interested enough in the characters that he also read and reflected on the sequel to this story. I had envisaged a sequence of stories following the letters of the alphabet. So the first was Antiques, Artifacts and Anomalies and its sequel was Barmy Bradford Beck. (I’ve actually lined up two more in the series, but have yet to write them–though I do have a rough idea of the plots). Whilst these stories take place in my small Yorkshire hometown, they are set more than a hundred years hence, after we had reached the stars and alien artefacts had become commonplace. Dave and I corresponded on and off after this initial start, but I never got to meet him again in the flesh after that. I really enjoyed reading both his short fiction and the novel I cited earlier (as well as one of the anthologies he edited). It was really inspiring to see his work appear in some of the most prestigious American magazines. So it was heart-rending to hear of both his diagnosis and prognosis, as I believe he still had many great stories in him. I was so fortunate to meet him early in my renewed writing journey and will be forever grateful for his wise feedback, encouraging words, and friendly demeanor.

My next published story, called Forbidden Knowledge, will appear in the new anthology, Search for the Any Key, from Wolfsinger Publications, and edited by Dana Bell—who’s taken a few of my stories in the past.

The forbidden knowledge relates to a hidden section of a library, and the story is set in another world than ours. This world isn’t particularly fantastic, but perhaps lends itself more to science fiction than fantasy. It was originally inspired after reading M. John Harrison’s Viriconium, which had been selected by the science fiction book circle I belong to.

The cover is above, and I really like it! This isn’t a very new story, but it was a good fit for the call to this particular anthology. I have observed over the years that it is easier to get published in anthologies that are looking for a particular theme, rather than through a random cold submission. Long may it continue…

Below is some information from the publisher, including a limited-time discount if you buy direct from them, rather than from Amazon.

 At this time, the ebook is available as a pre-order from Amazon and should also be showing up as a pre-order on other ebook retail sites. The official release will be January 20^th and that is when the print edition will appear on Amazon.

Also the book is available now through the WolfSinger Publications website: https://www.wolfsingerpubs.com/our-books

 For your readers – please give them coupon code: NR2026 so they can save 15% off the cover price when ordering direct through WolfSinger Publications. Code expires 15 Feb 2026. You can also let them know that the regular price (through Amazon and other retailers is $4.95 for the ebook ($4.00 direct) and $14.95 for the print ($11.00 direct)

I have just seen the film I will nominate for this year’s Hugo award in the category Best Dramatic Presentation, long-form.

It was a relatively rare expedition of the whole family to the cinema-my eldest daughter now has her own apartment and lives independently from the rest of us. Last year we had a teenage lodger from the US who was doing an internship at our church. He shared a love of animated films with my youngest daughter, who hence acquired a younger brother. His dad is a professional animator, and my daughter has a degree in animation—though is now concentrating on her Sci-Fi online comic. So, The Wild Robot, was our American friend’s recommendation, and we went to the Swedish premiere last night.

From the get-go, there was both laughter and tears, not only from those sitting closest to me but the whole cinema. It knocked recent Disney/Pixar Sci-Fi efforts out of the park—and for me recaptured the heyday of Pixar, before their union with Disney and the need for endless sequels to keep the money rolling in. The voice acting was spot on—we saw the English-language version, not the Swedish one. As a family, we try to see films in their original languages, with subtitles if necessary.

I don’t want to say much about the plot as it’s best to experience it firsthand, but from the promotional material surrounding the film you will glean that it’s about a service robot that is misdelivered to a remote island consisting only of wild animals. The animals are portrayed (at least in the beginning) with their normal interactions of predator and prey, rather than with a cutesy Disney sheen. And thus, quite a lot of the humour has a dark edge. Particular family favourites were the possum and her brood, the robot herself, an overambitious beaver and a slightly morally ambiguous fox—whose earnest and prolonged efforts to eat one of the central characters launches the film. There’s a lot that probably goes over the head of younger children. Afterwards, we discussed its suitability for this younger age group due to the multiple deaths (even in the first few minutes), but I reminded everyone that Bambi’s mother gets shot at the beginning of that supposedly very child friendly film—promoting, at least in my family, tears from the youngest—and without the tonic humour that The Wild Robot brings.

Behind the scenes, the mind behind, for example, How to Train your Dragon, shows that along with the recent Spiderman animations, exciting creativity is now found outside of the Disney/Pixar nest. The art was vivid, painterly, and like all great animation films, a character in its own right. It is a bit of a contrast with the other animation series I’ve been watching with my animator daughter (Arcane) which also combines great art with superb animation and storytelling for a more adult audience.

I recognised but couldn’t immediately identify the voice actors like Lupita Nygong’o, Pedro Pascal and various Brits like Bill Nighy, who were revealed in the end credits. In keeping with the recent Marvel tradition, there is a brief final scene after all the credits have rolled out. Actually, with an animator daughter, it’s a ploy I applaud, as you get to see the vast human team that has contributed to make this ‘computer’ animation. But that’s a gripe for another blog. Perhaps, I will combine this with my biggest disappointment of the last Star Wars trilogy, which was that Lupita’s character, Maz, was largely missing from the films following the Force Awakens… Well, at least The Wild Robot, gave her the opportunity to take central stage with another animated character, and shine.

I was reflecting on the short stories that have stayed with me long after I have read them. I decided to make a list and post them here. They are in no particular order. I do not claim they are the best stories I have read, though some are favourites. But for one reason or another they have stayed with me over the years. Many are really old and I didn’t necessarily read them when they came out. Much of my short story reading was based on books I found in the library. Several ‘Best of the Year’ by Terry Carr or Damon Knight’s Orbit anthologies Nebula or Hugo award winning collections. In fact, it was a pretty rich diet. When I finally did pick up an actual SF magazine, I was a bit disappointed that not all the stories were of the quality that I had read in these best of anthologies…

In the House of the Compassionate Sharers -Michael Bishop –sadly recently departed for pastures new

Little Iyla, Spider and Box – Paul McCauley –a great story from Interzone

Flowers for Algernon – Daniel Keys –the short story not the novel –Science Fiction rarely gets better than this

Xeelee Flower – Stephen Baxter

The Unconquered Country – Geoff Ryman –the best story I read in Interzone whilst I was a subscriber

The Eyelash Miracles -Gene Wolfe –the 1^st story I read by Gene Wolfe that got me hooked

Trip, Trap -Gene Wolfe

The Island of Dr. Death and other Stories ­-Gene Wolfe

The Death of Dr. Island -Gene Wolfe

The Detective of Dreams -Gene Wolfe

The Sandkings – George RR Martin –when GRRM wrote science fiction

When Morning comes, Mistfall George RR Martin

Press Enter – John Varley

Sonnie’s Edge-Peter F Hamilton

Zima Blue – Alastair Reynolds great story, great animated interpretation on Netflix

The Big Front Yard -Clifford D. Simak

Desertion – Clifford D. Simak –this is my favourite SF story

The Beast that shouted Love at the heart of the World -Harlan Ellison

Repent Harlequin said the Tick tock man -Harlan Ellison

I have no mouth and I must scream -Harlan Ellison

Ender’s Game – Orson Scott Card –the original short story

The unaccompanied Sonata – Orson Scott Card

Nightfall – Isaac Asimov

I Robot – Isaac Asimov

The Star -Arthur C. Clarke

The ones who walk away from Omelas – Ursula K. Le Guin

The Word for World is Forest – Ursula K. Le Guin

The Day before the Revolution – Ursula K. Le Guin

Of Mist, Grass and Sand -Vonda McIntyre

The Screwfly Solution – James Tiptree Jr./ Alice Sheldon

The unpleasant profession of Jonathan Hoag – Robert A. Heinlein

By his Bootstraps – Robert A. Heinlein

Forms of things unknown – C S. Lewis

The Tin Soldier -Joan D. Vinge

The Merchant and the Alchemist’s gate -Ted Chiang my favourite Ted Chiang story

Stories of your life and others -Ted Chiang adapted as Arrival

Home is the Hangman – Roger Zelazny

Locus Magazine, the unofficial newspaper of the speculative fiction world, mentioned the possibility of entering a short story competition that was being run out of the Indian Festival of Science and which was open to writers from all over the world. The competition was called, ‘Spin your Science’. I entered a story called One Ring to Find Them which is closely based on my day job and was very pleasantly surprised to be one of 20 finalists. At the time of writing, the top 3 stories have not been chosen. It is unlikely my story will go further, as I would expect (and hope) it should go to an Indian writer. Nonetheless, my story will be published online and in their annual magazine. Apparently, the finalists’ stories/poems will be put on a chip with the idea in the future it will go to the moon!

Once links are available, I will post them here, meanwhile here is the announcement of the finalists.