Editor: G. Black

Octuary 2001

ON WORLD BUILDING
Posted Chainday, 30 Octuary, Anno Urbis 2001 by gblack

An article by China Miéville, titled "On World Building" and originally published in the DelRey Internet Newsletter, has been added to Runagate Rampant.

Histories, laws, cultures, aesthetics -- worlds -- are colossal, and colossally complex. There is no way you can ever tell the story of a whole world. No matter how detailed your timeline or carefully illustrated your bestiary, you can't possibly explain everything. If something's not important to the narrative, then don't try -- there are only so many info-dumps a story can take, and I save mine for the stuff that the reader has to understand. The rest of the strange things, or races, or places -- they're just there. They just happen. Put them in, describe them, and leave them alone, even if that leaves the reader uncertain. That's fine. In fact, it's good -- it's culture shock. Hopefully it communicates a sense that there is a world beyond the book, in which the story occurs, rather than a story with a few fantasy props thrown in.

Click to read more "On World Building".

CHINA MIÉVILLE TO ATTEND CONFUSE 2002
Posted Blueday, 27 Octuary, Anno Urbis 2001 by gblack

Fresh news: China Miéville will be the main guest at the ConFuse 2002 convention, to take place in Linköping, Sweden from 14 to 16 June 2002. Full price is about EUR 30, standing place about EUR 10.

THE SCAR COVER ARTIST
Posted Chainday, 23 Octuary, Anno Urbis 2001 by gblack

Edward Miller, the cover artist for Perdido Street Station, is doing another landscape for the UK cover of China Miéville's next book The Scar. We will publish the cover here when it is made available.

AUGUST DERLETH AWARD NOMINATION
Posted Dockday, 15 Octuary, Anno Urbis 2001 by gblack

Perdido Street Station has earned yet another nomination, this time for the British Fantasy Awards in the category of Best Novel (also known as the August Derleth Award.) The nominees are:

• Silent Children, Ramsey Campbell
• Hush, Tim Lebbon and Gavin Williams
• The Ragchild, Steve Lockley and Paul Lewis
• Perdido Street Station, China Miéville
• Mr. X, Peter Straub

Winners will be announced on September 23^rd.

WORLD FANTASY AWARDS UPDATE
Posted Fishday, 7 Octuary, Anno Urbis 2001 by gblack

The final ballot for the 2001 World Fantasy Awards, covering publications in 2000, has been released. Winners will be announced at the World Fantasy Convention in Montreal, November 1 - 4, 2001. Judges for this year's awards are Steven Erikson, Paula Guran, Diana Wynne Jones, Graham Joyce, and Jonathan Strahan.

And the nominees for the category of Best Novel are:

• Declare, Tim Powers
• Galveston, Sean Stewart
• The Grand Ellipse, Paula Volsky
• The Amber Spyglass, Philip Pullman
• Lord of Emperors, Guy Gavriel Kay
• Perdido Street Station, China Miéville

PSS NOMINATED FOR WORLD FANTASY AWARD
Posted Blueday, 6 Octuary, Anno Urbis 2001 by gblack

China Miéville's Perdido Street Station is on the race for yet another award: it has been shortlisted for the World Fantasy Award 2000 for Best Novel. Winners will be announced in November at the World Fantasy Convention in Montreal.

Good luck, China!

THE SCAR: US EDITION AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER
Posted Dustday, 5 Octuary, Anno Urbis 2001 by gblack

The American hardcover edition of China Miéville's next novel The Scar is now available on Amazon.com for pre-order. According to the site, the book will be published on January 2002, contrary to earlier rumours of a February release.

Note that the book has been ready for pre-ordering for quite some time on the Amazon.co.uk website in both hardcover and paperback editions.

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