Robert J. Sawyer

So, I often go days without getting phone calls — I mean, voice is so last millennium. But yesterday and today, I’ve been recording audio: portions of Wake that I’m reading for Audible.com, plus me reading the entire first chapter myself to put on my website at sfwriter.com. And the damn phone has just not stopped ringing.

And now, as if that was not enough, the fire alarm has just gone off in my condo tower, and, of course, it’ll keep going until the fire department arrives (with their sirens blaring) and investigates the cause. Ugh!

The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site

Lessse, got up nice and early … but what the heck did I accomplish?

Well, I wrote 1,700 words of answers for a by-email interview for a Turkish national news agency (as a lead up to my keynote address in Istanbul on February 2).

I wrote 900 words of answers for a by-email interview by John Joesph Adams to support the release of his anthology Federations, which contains a story by me.

I wrote 1,000 words of answers for a by-email interview for the Italian SF site Fantascienza.com (in support of the recent release of my Humans in Italy).

I wrote the 1,000-word introduction to Distant Early Warnings: Canada’s Best Science Fiction, an anthology I’m editing that will come out this summer (and about which more later).

I wrote up a brief comment about my virtual book-tour appearance in Second Life for an article to appear in Baen’s Universe.

I recorded my parts for the Audible.com production of Wake (I’m voicing a small role).

I finalized arrangements for my accommodations in Saskatoon this summer for my stint as writer-in-residence at the Canadian Light Source.

And, oh, yeah, I did some work on Watch, the novel I’m currently writing.

The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site

I just recorded a small portion of the Audible.com multiple-cast unabridged reading of my next novel, Wake.

I am the voice in the novel of the “Online Encylopedia of Computing,” and I recorded my parts with my brand-spanking new Audio-Technica AT2020 USB Cardioid Condenser Microphone, which Wired recently recommended, and I picked up new on eBay for the bargain price of US$130 (list is US$249).

The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site

Until Tuesday, January 27, 2009, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time Audible.com has the unabridged audiobook of my Hugo Award-winning Hominids (as well as 70-odd other first volumes in series) on sale for only US$4.95. To get Hominids go here.

This version features an exclusive audio introduciton by yours truly.

The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site

Over at the fascinating Teleread.org blog, David Rothman asks:

Many and perhaps most e-books use straight, typewriter-style quotes rather than smart quotes—the directional kind. At least one major e-book company wants publishers to avoid smart quotes, at least when offering certain formats, to reduce the technical challenges.

But would you be more likely to recommend a book to a friend if it came with smart quotes, real dashes and other trimmings?

My reply:

They’re important — and publishers are being short-sighted in ignoring them. When I try to get people to share my enthusiasm for ebook reading, many reject the experience at a glance. They can’t articulate WHY they like printed books better; they just know that they DO. But surely one of the reasons they DO is the care with which material is presented on the printed page.

The irony is that small-screen ebook readers often default to (or indeed have no choice but) full justification, which looks awful on narrow line lengths, as if THAT was the heart and soul of good typography, and then give us typewriter quotes and hyphens for em dashes — two if we’re lucky, one if we’re not.

The utter sloppiness with which most books are converted to ebooks is shameful. Yes, yes, yes, stuff like making each footnote into a hyperlink might be labor intensive, but getting the quotation marks right shouldn’t be; they were presumably right in the original typesetting files. The slapdash efforts put forth by even some of the biggest commercial publishers in producing ebooks are shameful.

The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site

I attend a lot of science-fiction conventions, of course. At some, you find actors from past SF TV shows selling autographed photos of themselves. In my whole life, I have bought precisely one such: on Sunday, November 25, 2007, at LosCon 34 in Los Angeles I met Bob May, the actor who was inside the Robot costume on Lost in Space, and had him sign the above photo of him and the robot suit for me. (Click the photo for a larger version.)

Bob May died yesterday. He was 69.

I have huge fondness for the Robot, as this excerpt from my novel Rollback attests:

“All right,” said the robot. “Have you chosen a name for me yet?”

Sarah lifted her shoulders and looked at Don. “Gunter,” he said.

“Is that G-U-N-T-H-E-R?” asked the robot.

“No H,” said Don. And then, unable to help himself, “Get the H out.”

“My little boy,” Sarah said, smiling at Don. She’d said that often enough over the years, but, just now, it seemed to hit a little too close to home. She must have noticed his quickly suppressed wince, because she immediately said, “Sorry.”

Still, he thought, she was right. He was a kid at heart, at least when it came to robots. And his absolute favorite when he was growing up, as Sarah well knew, was the robot from Lost in Space. He got miffed whenever people called that robot Robby, although Robby, the robot from the movie Forbidden Planet, did bear a passing resemblance to the one from Lost in Space — not surprising, given that they were both designed by the same person, Robert Kinoshita. The Jupiter 2‘s robot was mostly just referred to as “the Robot” (or the “bubble-headed booby” and a hundred other alliterative insults by Dr. Smith). Still, many hardcore Lost in Space fans called it B-9, which was the model number it gave for itself in one episode. But Don had always contended that the barrel-chested automaton with vacuum-cleaner hoses for arms was actually named GUNTER, because another episode contained a flashback, showing the robot in its original packing crate, which was labeled “General Utility Non-Theorizing Environmental Robot.” Despite pointing this out to people for — God, for over seventy years now — Don hadn’t won many converts. But at least now there was a robot in the world who indisputably had that name.

Of course, thought Don, Sarah understood all this. She’d grown up watching Lost in Space, too, although what she’d loved most about it were the photos of real nebulas and galaxies used in space scenes (“Astronomical Photographs Copyrighted 1959 by the California Institute of Technology,” the card on the ending credits said). But, he realized sadly, none of this would mean anything to Lenore or anyone else who was as young as he felt.

Here’s my collection of Lost in Space robots:

The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site

Today — Monday, January 19 — is this year’s celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Tomorrow — Tuesday, January 20 — a black man will become President of the United States.

We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter with me now. Because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life; longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will.

And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I have seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I’m happy tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.

— Martin Luther King, Jr.
April 3, 1968,
Memphis, Tennessee

The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site

There are now pages devoted to my next novel, Wake, on my website at SFwriter.com, including:

• A master page about the book
• The opening chapters
• A techie press release (done for computer-related publications; PDF)

Wake will be published in hardcover in April 2009.

And you can read all my blog posts about Wake here (including this post).

The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site

A few days ago, I was asked about how a pro might get the most out of attending a science-fiction convention. I gave my advice here, but another point just occurred to me.

I was just directed to the lengthy list of panel topics from which to choose those I wanted to be part of at Norwescon, a con I’ll be attending in April 2009 in Seattle. In making my choices, I realized I was picking ones that made it possible for me to cite work of my own in relation to the discussion (not that that’s all I’m going to do, but I do want audience members who feel I’ve had something witty and intelligent to contribute to be able to find a specifically related novel by me to enjoy). Here are some of my picks, and the novel of mine that is obviously connected to the topic to be discussed:

SCI15 Robots’ Rights
The real reason we want AI is that we want perfect slaves. Whether they be butlers, bodyguards, intelligent sex toys or whatever, we want Jeeves-like competence with hard-wired loyalty and obedience and without the moral issues involved in enslaving people. But is there a paradox in that? Is it possible for machines (i.e., any combination of hardware and software) to be smart enough to do what we really want them to do without also being self-aware enough to have “human” rights?

(My novel Wake, which is being released just days before Norwescon begins.)

SCI04 The Science of Immortality
Some scientists think that the human lifespan is set at a point around 120 years. Others are coming up with creative ways to extend that point out to centuries, or even millennia. Which theories on extending life are the most popular, and which are the most provocative? What individuals and companies are pursuing the dream of eternal life? And when will you be able to get your own “longevity pill” or stroll on down to the clinic for an “immortality treatment”?

(My Hugo Award-nominated Rollback)

SCI18 Order in the (Alien?) Court!
What happens when you’re accused of a crime on another planet? How have writers handled this in the past–from Heinlein’s Have Spacesuit, will Travel to the Klingon court in The Undiscovered Country? Is it possible to write about methods of dispensing justice without depending on Terran history? Is the idea of justice itself an Earth concept?

(My Seiun Award-winning Illegal Alien)

SCI43 Backups: Eternal Life or Eternal Death?
Let’s say we could record a person’s mind and play it back into a new body, so that the new person couldn’t be told from the old. Would that lead to immortality? Or would it lead to an endless series of deaths followed by the creation of a new person who just thinks he’s the old one? Essentially, what does it mean to be oneself?

(My John W. Campbell Memorial Award-winning Mindscan)

WRI70 Alternate Prehistory
Do new discoveries in paleontology offer ideas for alternate history? Is this prehistory an untapped resource for alternate history?

(My Hugo Award-winning Hominids)

So, yes, as a pro, by all means pick topics that excite you, but if you are hoping that panel participation might actually sell a book or two, do choose panels that are relevant to your work.

The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site

I’ve posted thirteen messages with suggestions for this year’s Hugo Awards (the top international honours in science fiction) and Aurora Awards (the Canadian national SF awards). You can see them all here.

Attending and supporting members of last year’s World Science Fiction Convention in Denver and this year’s one in Montreal may nominate for the Hugos.

Any Canadian may nominate (for free!) for the Aurora Awards — the ballot is here and more information about the awards is here.

The Canadian SF Works Database provides info about additional works by Canadians that are eligible for both awards. It’s a Wiki, so if you know of any omissions, feel free to add them in.

The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site

This is the thirteenth and final post in a series of blog posts in which I’ve discussed people and things that I think merit consideration for this year’s Hugo and Aurora Awards; both sets of awards will be given at the Montreal Worldcon this year.

Last year, 2008, was a good one for my writing students.

I mentioned back in November 2008 that Tony Pi [who was my student at the University of Toronto in 2001] has stories all over the place (and I also mentioned that he’s eligible for the John W. Campbell Award), and that Douglas Smith [Ryerson University 1997] had his first collection, Impossibilia, out from PS Publishing.

And I’ve already crowed about Hayden Trenholm‘s novel Defining Diana from Bundoran Press [Ifwa workshop in Calgary 1996]; he also had a story entitled “Love In its Season” in the Summer 2008 On Spec.

Also in 2008, my student Edward Willett [Banff Centre 2003 and 2005] had his first mass-market SF novel, Marseguro, published by DAW (and picked up by the Science Fiction Book Club).

Susan Forest [Ifwa workshop 2003] had a terrific short story called “Back” in the June 2008 Analog.

Matthew Johnson [University of Toronto 2005] had short story “Another Country” in the April-May 2008 Asimov’s, and the short story “Lagos” in the August 2008 Asimov’s.

And Randy McCharles, whom I’ve recommended for a fan Aurora for his work on the World Fantasy Convention, and who has taken more workshops with me than anyone else [Ifwa 1996, Ifwa 2003, and Banff Centre 2006], had his first major pro publication this year: the novelette “Ringing the Changes in Okotoks, Alberta” in Tesseracts Twelve, edited by Claude Lalumière.

I draw all of them to your attention for the Hugo and Aurora Awards.

The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site

It’s easy.

This is science fiction:

And this is fantasy:

The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site

Yes, yes, yes, we all know that my Wake has the most beautiful cover of any book coming out in 2009. But the second most beautiful cover is doubtless that for Wondrous Strange, the debut novel by my dear friend Lesley Livingston. It’s a YA urban fantasy published by HarperCollins.

She launched it at a Toronto pub on Thursday evening, and the event was fabulous. Bakka-Phoenix was on hand selling books, Lesley did an amazing reading, and the whole place was hopping. Here’s Lesley on YouTube talking about the book, and that’s me and Lesley below at the launch.

The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site

The lead story at Locus Online right now, in its entirety, is this:

Del Rey editor Liz Scheier was laid off yesterday and will be joining the growing ranks of newly unemployed editors — her position at the company officially ends January 23, 2009. Get more news like this in each monthly issue of Locus Magazine — Subscribe!

Sadly, that’s probably exactly right. We’ll see many more news stories very much in the same vein in the months to come.

My heart goes out to Liz and all the others being let go.

The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site

This is the twelfth in a series of blog posts in which I’m going to discuss people and things that I think merit consideration for this year’s Hugo and Aurora Awards; both sets of awards will be given at the Montreal Worldcon this year.

On the Hugo ballot, you also get to nominate for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. According to the Canadian SF Works Database wiki, three Canadians are eligible for nomination this year, and I commend their work to your attention:

• Stephen Kotowych
• Tony Pi
• Gord Sellar

Click on their names above to visit their websites and learn more about their work.

I note with beaming pride that both Stephen Kotowych and Tony Pi have been my writing students. Additional information about Stephen is here, and more about Tony is here.

The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site

This is the eleventh in a series of blog posts in which I’m going to discuss people and things that I think merit consideration for this year’s Hugo and Aurora Awards; both sets of awards will be given at the Montreal Worldcon this year.

It astonishes me that Taral Wayne and I have known each other for over thirty years. Taral will be the Fan Guest of Honour at the Worldcon in Montreal this year. He’s been nominated seven times previously for the Hugo Award for Best Fan Artist, and he’s won the Rotsler Award, just this past year.

It would certainly be odd if he weren’t on the Hugo ballot for Montreal. If you haven’t encountered his work before, see here and here, and have a look at his Wikipedia entry here. Also, fellow Toronto-based Hugo winners Mike Glicksohn and Robert Charles Wilson offer appreciations of Taral here.

For the Hugo Award for Best Fan Artist:

• Taral

The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site

Pretty much bought on a whim, but will prove very handy on my loooong flight to Turkey in 14 days’ time, not to mention on the book tour for Wake: my first netbook, an Acer Aspire One, model AOA150-1049.

Specs: Intel Atom Processor N270 1.60GHz, 802.11b/g WLAN, 1GB DDR2, 160GB hard drive, 8.9″ WSVGA (1024×600 pixels), Integrated Webcam, Windows XP Home. I got it in black, and this model comes with a six-cell (5 hour battery); I also bought a third party nine-cell (7.5 hour battery), and non-glare screen protector because, like so many computers these days, it came with a glossy screen that you could use as a shaving mirror.

Otherwise, though, it’s an absolutely terrific computer, with a very crisp display, and it runs WordStar just fine. :) And, unlike some of its competitors (such as the Asus Eee PC models through the end of 2008), it has an absolutely standard keyboard layout.

(Netbooks are very small notebook computers; this one’s about the size of a hardcover book, and weighs 2.5 pounds.)

The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site

Yes, indeed! The Italian edition of my novel Humans just came out from Urania, and they’ve given it the Italian title Fuga dal pianeta degli umani, which is indeed Escape from the Planet of the Humans, a lovely homage to one of my favorite films, Escape from the Planet of the Apes.

The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site

Access Copyright is the Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency.

Attention Canadian Copyright Holders:

An Important Message to all Canadian Publishers, Authors and Heirs of Authors about the Google Settlement

This settlement has the potential to affect every copyright owner in Canada. It is important to read the following message and forward it onto other copyright owners that you know.

There is a proposed landmark settlement to lawsuits brought against Google separately by book authors and the Authors Guild, and publisher representatives of the Association of American Publishers alleging that the scanning/digitization of books for its Google Book Search program infringed copyright in the United States.

Access Copyright is involved in the proposed settlement by working closely with a U.S. firm that is implementing the class action notice program.

We encourage you to read the full Notice about the settlement, which has detailed information about the settlement, important terms, the claims process, and key dates. Want to know more first? Read this article prepared by Access Copyright to understand why you should care about the Google settlement.

Access Copyright’s Google Settlement Seminars:

To help Canadian copyright owners understand the implications of this settlement, Access Copyright is offering seminars on the settlement.

Web-based seminars will be offered on the following dates (all times in Eastern Standard Time):

Thursday, January 22, 2009 9:30 a.m. — noon

Monday, January 26, 2009 9:30 a.m. — noon

Wednesday, January 28, 2009 1 p.m. — 3:30 p.m.

Based on demand, we may add additional web-based seminars in February. Please stay tuned for more details.

A seminar on the Google settlement will also be held at Access Copyright’s offices at One Yonge Street in Toronto on Thursday, February 12, 2009 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

If you’re interested in participating in any of these seminars, please email us [editor@accesscopyright.ca] with your contact details and which session you want to attend. Please note that space for all seminars is limited so it is important to reserve your spot as soon as possible. We will follow-up up via return email to confirm your attendance and provide any additional information you may need, including access information to the Web-based seminar.

If you have any general questions, please contact us at 416-868-1620 (toll-free 1-800-893-5777) or email us at editor@accesscopyright.ca.

The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site

This is the tenth in a series of blog posts in which I’m going to discuss people and things that I think merit consideration for this year’s Hugo and Aurora Awards; both sets of awards will be given at the Montreal Worldcon this year.

You know why Locus — the trade journal of the science-fiction field — is called that? It’s a pun. See, it started off as a fanzine — an amateur publication — and the heart and soul of many fanzines is the part where letters of comment (responses to earlier issues) are printed; in fact, one of the standard ways to get a fanzine is by having sent in a letter of comment.

Well, “letter of comment” is a mouthful, and fans just love abbreviations, so instead, they’re usually called a “LoC” or “loc,” and that abbreviation can be employed as both a noun and a verb, so Locus‘s title was an inviation for people to send in letters of comment: “LoC us!” Cute, huh?

The Hugos have a category for Best Fan Writer, and the Auroras have one for Best Fan (Other). A clever, voluminous letterhack (as those who write a lot of LoCs are affectionately known) is eligible for both those awards, and Canada has one particularly diligent letterhack: long-playin’ Lloyd Penney.

In years gone by, you’d have to get an awful lot of fanzines to see Lloyd’s output, but this is the online era, and Lloyd took my suggestion a while ago, and established an online repository for his clever, heartfelt, warm LoCs. You’ll find them here.

For the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer:

• Lloyd Penney

For the Aurora Award for Best Fan (Other):

• Lloyd Penney for fanzine letters of comment

(For trivia fans, Lloyd Penney is tuckerized [another long-standing fannish tradition — it means he appears as a character] in my novel Illegal Alien, and my novel Hybrids is dedicated to Lloyd and his wife Yvonne.)

The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site

I’m a proud alumnus of Ryerson University in Toronto (where I earned a Bachelor of Applied Arts degree in Radio and Television Arts, graduating in 1982).

And I guess Ryerson’s pretty proud of me, too. In 2002, they gave me their Alumni Award of Distinction, one of (as of now) only 50 alumni out of over 100,000 to be so honoured.

And the mutual love affair continues: in honour of Ryerson’s 60th anniversary, the Office of University Advancement commissioned me to write an essay about the University’s future. It appears at the end (page 15 of 16) of Ryerson at 60: Proud Past, Unlimited Future, a beautiful full-colour insert that was included with the Winter 2009 edition of Ryerson’s Alumni magazine.

Click here to download the insert and read my essay.

The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site

BACK FLAP:

Robert J. Sawyer was born in Ottawa and lives just outside of Toronto, Canada. He has won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards for best novel. Visit his Website at www.sfwriter.com.

Photo by Carolyn Clink

Jacket design by Rita Frangie

Jacket photos:
“Teenage Girl” Steven Biver/Getty
“Light Trails” John Lund/Getty

Visit our website at www.penguin.com

An Ace Book
Published by the Berkley Publishing Group
A Division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street
New York, New York 10014

04/09

---

BACK COVER:

Praise for WWW:WAKE

“Once again, Robert J. Sawyer explores the intersection between big ideas and real people. Here the subject is consciousness and perception — who we are and how we see one another, both literally and figuratively. Thoughtful and engaging, and a great beginning to a fascinating trilogy.”

— Robert Charles Wilson, Hugo Award-winning author of Spin

“Cracking open a new Robert Sawyer book is like getting a gift from a friend who visits all the strange and undiscovered places in the world. You can’t wait to see what he’s going to amaze you with this time.”

— John Scalzi, John W. Campbell Award-winning author of Old Man’s War

“In Wake, Robert Sawyer gives us not only an entertaining novel but also a new way of looking at the World Wide Web. A superb work of day-after-tomorrow science fiction — I enjoyed every page.”

— Allen Steele, two-time Hugo Award-winning author of Coyote Horizon

“Unforgettable. Impossible to put down.”

— Jack McDevitt, Nebula Award-winning author of The Devil’s Eye

ISBN 978-0-441-01679-2

---

SPINE:

WWW:WAKE
Hugo and Nebula Award-Winning Author
ROBERT J. SAWYER

Ace

---

FRONT COVER:

“Sawyer gives us not only an entertaining novel but also a new way of looking at the World Wide Web … Superb.”
—Allen Steele

WWW:WAKE

Hugo and Nebula Award-Winning Author
ROBERT J. SAWYER

---

FRONT FLAP:
$24.95

WWW:WAKE

During his decades-spanning career, award-winning author Robert J. Sawyer has “undoubtedly cemented his reputation as one of the foremost science fiction writers of our generation” (SF Site). Now he adds to his impressive body of work with an imaginative and mind-blowing new trilogy of the web — and its awakening …

Caitlin Decter is young, pretty, feisty, a genius at math — and blind. Still, she can surf the net with the best of them, following its complex paths clearly in her mind.

When a Japanese researcher develops a new signal-processing implant that might give her sight, she jumps at the chance, flying to Tokyo for the operation.

But Caitlin’s brain long ago co-opted her primary visual cortex to help her navigate online. Once the implant is activated, instead of seeing reality, the landscape of the world wide web explodes into her consciousness, spreading out all around her in a riot of colors and shapes. While exploring this amazing realm, she discovers something — some other — lurking in the background. And it’s getting smarter …

The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site

Voilà! My US editor Ginjer Buchanan just sent me the final version of the dustjacket for my novel Wake, which will be released April 7, 2009, in hardcover by Ace Science Fiction in the States.

Shown above is the final front cover (slightly revised from what I’d posted before), and if you click on the cover or here, you’ll see the full dust jacket (front cover, back cover, and flaps, including all the copy). Your browser will probably shrink it to fit your window; click on the graphic and it should zoom to full size. Note: this is a 4.5 megabyte file.

I am totally, totally thrilled. I’ve had lots of nice dustjackets over the years, but I think this is the most stunningly beautiful cover I’ve ever had. Hats off to the amazing Rita Frangie, who designed the dustjacket.

The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site

Robert J. Sawyer, Don Tapscott, and others on TVOntario‘s The Agenda with Steve Paikin discuss “Your Brain and Technology” (38-minute video, first broadcast January 14, 2009).

The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site

By coincidence, two old friends got in touch today.

T. Jackson King, a science-fiction writer I’ve known since the early 1990s, emailed to say he’s established a new web site, and, as part of the contents has resurrected a 1993 interview he did with me for Science Fiction Chronicle.

And Gene Wilburn, whom I’ve known since the 1980s when we both freelanced for the same computer magazines, including InfoAge, wrote to point out that he commented on my appearance last night on TVOntario’s The Agenda with Steve Paikin in this blog post, in which, among other things, he says:

Rob made the salient point that humans evolved on the African Savannah where multitasking was essential to survival. While searching for food, or hunting, you also had to be alert to sounds and motions, such as poisonous snakes, hunting eagles, and lions, all of whom may be hunting you. His thesis is that humans evolved to be multitasking, and that the past fifty years or so, with people glued to the boob tube, have been an aberration rather than the norm.

T. Jackson Kings’s website is here, and the main page of Gene Wilburn’s blog is here.

The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site

All the press coverage about the passing today of the very talented Ricardo Montalbán is mentioning his work on Fantasy Island and Star Trek. And, of course, I loved his portrayal of Khan.

But you know what his best work was? The role of Señor Armando in Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, the fourth film in the series. (He was also in the third, playing a younger version of the same man, but that was a flamboyant performance.)

In Conquest, the darkest film in the series, he was really called upon to act, and he rose beautifully to the challenge, playing the world-weary father figure to Cornelius the chimpanzee as a man of integrity and honor; he brilliantly underplays the role, one of only two sympathetic humans in the entire film.

Police officer: “Circuses are past history.”
Armando: “Not while I live and breathe.”

Rest in peace, Señor Montalbán.

The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site

“Where am I?”

“In the Village.”

“What do you want?”

“Information.”

“Whose side are you on?”

“That would be telling. We want information. Information! Information!”

“You won’t get it.”

“By hook or by crook, we will.”

“Who are you?”

“The new Number Two.”

“Who is Number One?”

“You are Number Six.”

“I am not a number — I am a free man!”

(maniacal laughter)

Patrick McGoohan, star, creator, producer, and writer of The Prisoner, one of the most amazing TV shows of all time, passed away yesterday. He was 80.

The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site

A fellow writer just emailed me to say she’d been invited to do her first Guest of Honor stint at a science-fiction convention, and she asked me, since I’ve often been a GoH, for how to make the best impression so as to increase her readership. Here’s what I had to say:

First, congratulations! That’s wonderful!

The best way to attact readers is just be open, warm, inviting, and accessible. Talk to anyone and everyone. Give your attention to whoever is with you; don’t always be looking to get somewhere else. Relax, enjoy, be a fun person. Attend the evening room parties. If you’re dining with a group, and you see someone from the convention dining alone, ask him/her to join your table. Hang around the dealers room. Don’t force it: don’t push yourself or your work. Just make people think, “Wow, that’s a nice, intelligent person,” and trust that they’ll track down your work.

That said, have a flyer for the freebie table that tells people where to find your work, and get business cards directing them to your blog / website. I get mine from Vistaprint.com.

Have a look here. I show you that not to show off, but so that you can get a sense of what sort of behavior at cons results in positive feedback.

Most of all: have fun!

And — again! — congratulations!

Rob

Also, see here.

The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site

Just received a beautiful thank-you card from the organizers of the 2008 Surrey International Writers’ Conference, in Surrey (Vancouver), British Columbia, with a nice selection of quotes from the evaluation forms submitted by attendees about my Friday-night keynote address “The Writer’s Story”:

“Rob Sawyer was a passionate and inspiring keynote.”

“Robert Sawyer on Friday evening — excellent! Inspiring, motivational, well-organized, well-presented.”

“Loved Rob Sawyer’s keynote!”

“Robert Sawyer keynote was excellent, inspiring to writers.”

“Can’t speak highly enough of Robert Sawyer as a motivational speaker!”

“RJ Sawyer’s keynote speech was my personal highlight of the conference.”

Woot! I’ll be back again at SiWC this year: October 23-25, 2009.

The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site

This is the ninth in a series of blog posts in which I’m going to discuss people and things that I think merit consideration for this year’s Hugo and Aurora Awards; both sets of awards will be given at the Montreal Worldcon this year.

I’ve already mentioned that Neo-Opsis and On Spec deserve your consideration for the Aurora Award for Best Work in English (Other) this year. Here’s another suggestion for that same category.

Back in 2005, there was a wonderful academic conference at Brock University entitled “The Uses of the Science Fiction Genre.” I gave the keynote address.

Michael Berman, a philosophy professor at Brock, has collected papers inspired by that conference into a terrific book published in 2008: The Everyday Fantastic: Essays on Science Fiction and Human Being, from Cambridge Scholars Publishing. You can find out more about it here, and if you download this sample PDF, you can read the table of contents, Michael’s introduction, and my essay.

From the publisher:

The Everyday Fantastic is an anthology born in love. The love is for science fiction, in all its myriad forms: novels, television, movies, music, art, etc. Many writers from a plurality of disciplines, professions and walks of life share this disposition. This attitude cuts across national boundaries and has even outlasted the vagaries of popular culture fads. This collection of essays draws upon these feelings in terms of the different ways science fiction is engaged in different disciplines, viewing the genre beyond mere entertainment.

The papers collected here engage the fundamental questions explored in science fiction. Many of the essays were originally presented at an interdisciplinary conference in October 2005 at Brock University, highlighted by Robert J. Sawyer’s engaging keynote address. Additional chapters were in part inspired by these presentations. These essays represent a wide array of voices from the humanities, social sciences and sciences, and address a comparable range of topics and the media that use the science fiction genre.

For the Aurora Award for Best Work in English (Other):

• Berman, Michael. The Everyday Fantastic. Cambridge Scholars Publishing

The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site